


Walking After You

by YoboD



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Choices, Crimson Flower, Edelgard and Leonie are both Huge Eisner Fangirls, Edelgard von Hresvelg Needs a Hug, F/F, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route Spoilers, Found Family, Honestly so does every character, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other characters to be added as they appear, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Spoilers, Sylvain Jose Gautier Has Self-Worth Issues, eventually anyway, no beta we die like Glenn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:53:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 30,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27755671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YoboD/pseuds/YoboD
Summary: They switched for Byleth. They stayed for Edelgard. Moments in the lives of the Black Eagles recruits as they come to know their new house leader.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg & Leonie Pinelli, Edelgard von Hresvelg & Marianne von Edmund, Edelgard von Hresvelg & Mercedes von Martritz, Edelgard von Hresvelg & Sylvain Gautier, Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 83
Kudos: 239





	1. Leonie I

If there was one thing everyone said about Leonie Pinelli, it’s that she was a hard worker. Well, also that she ate a lot (Could you blame her? The food here was so good, and free!). And that she was cheap (She preferred frugal, not her fault everyone else here was rich and didn’t need to worry about money.). And that she never, ever shut up about Jeralt Eisner, the captain of the guard (Well… yeah okay, she couldn’t deny that one. Captain Jeralt was just so _awesome_ . _)_ . But the _main_ thing everyone said about Leonie Pinelli was that she worked hard. That was why, as always, the first light of the morning found Leonie well and truly in the middle of her lance drills.

_‘Raise, thrust, pull, lunge, return.’_

Well and good that it might be for the wealthier and more privileged of Garreg Mach to rise with the sun, but Leonie didn’t have that same luxury. It’s why she was always able to get her workouts in without anyone else around to bother her in the training hall.

 _‘Raise, thrust, pull, lunge, return.’_

There was just too much work to do to waste time sleeping if she was going to make her village proud and show them that they hadn’t wasted their money sending her here.

 _‘Raise, thrust, pul- good_ goddess _this is dull!’_

Knowledgeable as professor Manuela may be when it came to magic or swordplay, it was clear that enthusiasm did not carry to other weapons. Her lessons in lances were particularly by the book, and it wasn’t like she could attend the seminars of any of the Knights of Seiros, not with how busy they all had been in the last few weeks thanks to the total uproar caused by the plot to assassinate Lady Rhea.

So in the end she was practising the same moves and stances that captain Jeralt had taught her all those years ago. Moves that by this point had practically become muscle memory.

_‘Ugh, I could have learned so much more by now if captain Jeralt was able to hold seminars. Or, even better, if the academy had just chosen him to replace that missing professor in the first place. Who are they trying to fool, making his kid teach instead? I’m not even convinced she’s any older than I am!’_

“Leonie?”

She yelped as she dropped her lance and windmilled her arms in order to avoid falling over mid-thrust, the surprise call for her attention causing her to lose concentration and balance. She felt a steadying hand on her back as she finally managed to right herself. She turned to see just who had managed to catch her completely unawares.

 _Oh you have_ got _to be kidding me._

In front of her stood the woman herself, Byleth Eisner. Daughter and protégé to the legendary captain Jeralt. The youngest professor to ever teach at the officers academy. The so-called ‘ashen demon’ ‘ _Seiously, what has_ she _done to earn such a cool nickname? It’s not like anyone goes around calling me the crimson lancer.’_ Most importantly of all, she was Leonie’s sworn rival. Her sworn rival who had just seen her nearly drop her lance and fall over her own two feet, _ugh_ . She could practically _feel_ her cheeks growing as red as her hair.

“Greetings, Leonie.”

Leonie blinked. Boy she must have really been out of it, because that looked like Edelgard von Hresvelg standing next to the professor and staring at her expectantly at this ungodly early hour.

A few experimental blinks later and an increasingly bemused Edelgard confirmed that, no, this was indeed Edelgard von Hresvelg, not a figment of her imagination. The princess and heir to the Adrestian Empire, the supposed stoic ice queen herself, possibly the most powerful and influential student in the entire academy, was here to see her make a complete fool of herself. How _wonderful_.

Byleth nodded to her. “Hello Leonie.” She said, and then offered absolutely nothing else as she proceeded to stare at her.

Oh jeez, was this some advanced intimidation tactic or something? Had this infuriating woman finally accepted her role as her bitter enemy? Was she trying to assert her dominance or something and show her position as captain Jeralt’s number one protégé? Even Edelgard was starting to look uncomfortable at the professor’s side as the seconds ticked by.

“… Yeah?” Leonie finally responded in desperation to get Byleth to just _say_ something. No good, the deadpan professor’s mouth remained shut as the moment stretched from kind-of weird to downright awkward.

Leonie was about a moment away from shaking this infuriating woman by the lapels and demanding what in Sothis’ name she actually wanted before Edelgard thankfully decided to intervene.

“Professor, wasn’t there something you wanted to ask Leonie?” She prodded. “Something about our mission this month?”

“Hmm?” The professor’s concentration was finally broken as she spared a glance at Edelgard. “Oh right, thank you Edelgard.” She looked back at Leonie once more. “We’ve been tasked with defending the Holy Mausoleum at the end of the month. We’d like to ask for your assistance in doing so.”

 _‘Oh. OH!’_ Leonie smirked as realization hit her. She crossed her arms and straightened her posture. “So you’re finally admitting that you need my help, huh?” Edelgard rolled her eyes at the display. Byleth, dispassionate as always, just blinked.

“Well yes, that’s why we’re asking yo-“

“Well never fear professor, I’d be more than happy to come along and show you how it’s done.”

“Terrific.” Byleth said, her tone bland and _definitely not_ sarcastic. Probably. Maybe. The professor placed her hand on the shoulder of imperial princess standing next to her. Huh, has Edelgard been training recently too? Now that she looked she seemed a bit red in the cheeks all of a sudden. “Edelgard will give you the details on our upcoming tactical and training sessions. I’d do it myself but I’ve got some big fish to fry.” She gave Leonie another nod before dashing out of the training hall so quickly that Leonie wouldn’t have been surprised if she had left a cloud of dust in her wake

“Wow, has the archbishop given her some super important professory task to do?” Leonie queried to the girl in front of her. “I don’t think I’ve even seen horses move that fast before.”

“Hmm?” Edelgard queried as she snapped out of whatever daze she was in. Man whatever workout she did must have been a killer. “Oh. No, Dedue just promised he’d help her cook up her latest catch for the mess hall today.”

“…She meant that she had _literal_ fish to fry.”

Edelgard inclined her head. “Correct.”

“And that’s why she ran out of here like a wyvern with an arrow in its rear?”

“The professor gets very excited when it comes to food. And fish. And food made out of fish.”

Ah, now she was beginning to understand the enigma that was her idol’s daughter. “She’s a complete weirdo.”

Edelgard’s face twisted with indignation in an instant. “The professor is _not_ a weirdo!” She replied in a surprisingly defensive tone. “She’s just… unique.”

Leonie could only laugh. “Oh please, that’s just polite noble talk for weird.”

“Hmmph.” Edelgard did not deign to give that a response as she crossed her arms and frowned at her. “What on earth are you doing here so early anyway? The professor and I weren’t even going to seek you out until later today before we heard noises from inside.”

Leonie shrugged as she finally bent down to pick her lance back up. “Training, duh. What else would I be doing here?”

Edelgard leaned against the doorway as her expression turned thoughtful. “Do you always train so early in the morning? I must admit I normally finish my training session a little earlier than this- ‘ _What in Fodlan?!_ _Geez, and here I thought me and Raph were dedicated to training_ . _Why on earth is some pampered_ noble _getting up so early every day?’ -_ so I suppose it’s possible we might be just missing each other.” Edelgard continued on, oblivious to Leonie’s internal shock.

“Well I’ve got no idea why you’re getting up so early princess, but unlike most of you upper class folks I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.” Leonie told her as readied her stance and form to go through her drills again. “I wasn’t raised with an arms instructor or weapons tutoring. So I’ve gotta make up for lost time if I’m gonna be the top student of this academy and become a legendary mercenary.”

Edelgard raised a hand to her chin as her eyes narrowed. What she was thinking Leonie could only guess. All Leonie could see when she looked into Edelgard’s eyes were unmoving chips of ice. ‘ _They’re just like Claude’s’_ , a traitorous part of her mind pointed out. “I understand the desire to train and better yourself, but is there truly a point in doing so if it’s just going to make you sloppy?”

Leonie scowled. “ _Excuse me?!”_ She growled as she stomped over to Edelgard. “Just who are you calling sloppy, _your majesty_?”

To her credit, Edelgard did not back down. One expertly raised eyebrow was all the reaction Leonie got as Edelgard stared back up at her. “Did I offend you? My apologies. I believe that was what professor Eisner wanted to say when she was studying you before. Although it is certainly odd that she chose not to say anything.”

Yeah, even Byleth must have realised how well that would’ve gone down if she tried critiquing her. “Maybe she thought it might be a bit, I don’t know, _rude_? A worry that you don’t seem to share.”

Edelgard shrugged. “I can hardly say nothing and let you train with improper form and allow bad habits to become ingrained. Your legs should be further apart and your stomach more engaged while you thrust, this would make it easier for you to keep your balance while attacking and make you less likely to fall over. Your lunges and thrusts are too deep; you’ll be a sitting duck if you miss after over committing to your attacks like that. Your grip needs to be much stronger, to potentially drop your weapon in battle would be certain death-“

“Alright, alright, I get it already!” Leonie threw her arms up in frustration as she walked away, goddess _damn_ this arrogant noble! And to think she thought Lorenz and Claude could get insufferably arrogant, they had _nothing_ on this chick. Her face was likely still as red as her hair, but that sure wasn’t because of embarrassment anymore. “You know absolutely everything about what I’m doing wrong, _because of course you do_. Why do you even know so much about lances anyway? Getting tired of lugging an axe around everywhere?”

Edelgard merely shrugged. “When Ferdinand von Aegir, _noblest of nobles_ , challenges you to a duel for the one hundredth time, you learn a thing or two about wielding a lance just through observation alone.” Her expression brightened immediately as she added, “Also, the professor is an _incredible_ teacher. Her mastery and knowledge of each weapon type is extraordinary, and she makes sure to pass that knowledge on to all of the Black Eagles. I’m sure she’d be more than happy to give you some advice during our training sessions.”

Leonie actually snorted at that. “Oh yeah, such bountiful knowledge from the teacher who’s barely even older than I am. I’m sure she has _so_ much wisdom to offer me on a weapon I’ve never even seen her wield.”

Edelgard’s eyes narrowed again. “Don’t mistake her youth for inexperience. Despite her improbable age she has still fought in a great many battles with just as many weapons. Her advice and expertise have been quite vital in all of our victories so far.”

Well, well. Looks like the princess wasn’t some unflappable ice queen after all. Seems more like people just didn’t know what buttons to push. “I think you’ve let your judgement be clouded by her _expertise_.” She left a moment for the implications of her words to hang before continuing on. “I mean, I’d totally believe you if you were saying this stuff about captain Jeralt, but his kid? The one who walks around with the greatest mercenary to ever live and is about as excited by that fact, as I am when we get a surprise test? I don’t buy it.” 

Leonie had expected Edelgard to take the bait very quickly after that. Stammer out a response about how it wasn’t like that at all, or how Leonie had missed the context, or how her admiration was all _strictly_ academic. She didn’t really care much about romance, but even she could see the giant flashing signals Edelgard gave off.

Surprisingly, Edelgard didn’t do any of that. She just stared back at Leonie, frown growing a she continued to turn over whatever she was thinking in her head. “Leonie.” Edelgard finally began. “This lack of respect you have for the professor… this isn’t going to be a problem, is it? We will be able to rely on you following the professor’s plan and listening to her orders, correct?”

This time it was Leonie’s turn to casually shrug in response. Seeing Edelgard’s frustration, how ever brief, had given her some much-needed control of the situation. “Well that just depends on the order, doesn’t it? I’m not just gonna blindly obey my greatest rival, after all.”

“Is this all a game to you?” The words were heavy, but the accusation still carried. “I’ve already had this exact same discussion with both Caspar and Ferdinand. They both decided to listen to their foolish pride instead of heeding the professor’s orders, and they both nearly died for it. All I could think as I stared at them both in their hospital beds afterwards was how utterly I failed both of my classmates due to my lack of leadership.” Edelgard looked straight into Leonie’s eyes again, and what were before violet chips of ice now felt like towering, immovable glaciers. “The stakes are too high to bring along soldiers who won’t fall in line. If this is all just some opportunity to show your superiority to the professor, or prove yourself to the nobles here, then tell me now so that I may stop wasting both our time.”

 _‘I’m not one of your toadies.’_ Leonie thought, careful to try and school her expression the same way the princess did. _‘I’m a part of the Leicester Alliance, you can’t control me like you do to the rest of your imperial bootlickers.’_ “You know you really are something, managing to make this all about you.” Leonie finally responded bitterly _._ “You’re so convinced that you know what’s best for everyone, or that anyone who you can’t control is some sort of liability. Well guess what princess, this might come as a surprise to you but just because I’m a commoner doesn’t mean I’m an idiot. I’m not going to go put myself or the rest of you in danger just to show how amazing I am, and I won’t disobey orders out of pettiness either.” Leonie paused to gather her thoughts; intent on making sure Edelgard knew where she stood. “But that doesn’t mean I’m just going to blindly obey what I’m told if it sounds stupid either. I’m glad that you have so much faith in your professor Edelgard, I really am. But I just can’t believe in her the same way you do.”

“You would if it was her father.”

“She’s not captain Jeralt.” Leonie responded flatly. “She’s not even close.”

Edelgard exhaled through her nose at that. This clearly wasn’t getting either of them anywhere. They were both clearly far too stubborn to concede to the other’s arguments. Would Edelgard just give up and allow the situation to remain unresolved like this? She doubted it. There was no way someone like Edelgard would allow for any variables to be at play for a mission as important as what lied in the Holy Mausoleum. As she pondered what Edelgard’s next play was, the woman herself spoke up. “Why are you so insistent on this rivalry with the professor?”

Leonie imperceptibly relaxed at this much more familiar territory. “To show captain Jeralt that I’m his number one apprentice, obviously. If I showed him I’m better than Byleth, maybe he’ll invite me to be part of his mercenaries once I graduate. After some of the conversations I’ve had with him, there’s no way he wants to stay with the church for too long.” It might have been the sunlight seeping through the windows, but she could swear that she saw Edelgard’s eyes flash at that, although with what she couldn’t tell. Curiosity? Concern? No, neither of those were quite right. Honestly, the best description she could think of was… hunger, maybe? Before she could ponder the implications, whatever that look in her eyes had been, it vanished just as quickly as it came, and Edelgard’s eyes returned to their impassive hue. Perhaps it was just a trick of the light after all.

“I see.” That was all that Edelgard offered in reply. She then went to the training rack and picked up a wooden axe. “In that case, I believe I have a proposition for you.”

Leonie’s ears picked up. “Oh?” She said, leaning her weight forward onto the butt of her lance, watching Edelgard with interest. “What kind of proposition?”

Edelgard ran her hand thoughtfully over the handle of the axe. “I am aware this may sound egotistical, but I am the best student in the Black Eagles house.” Edelgard said without a single shred of modesty or reservation. “Yet even so, I can tell you with confidence that I am not on the professor’s level, in either tactics or combat. Therefore, I propose a duel.” Edelgard had now moved on to dexterously twirling the axe in her hands. “If you win, I’ll acknowledge that I have no room to be giving you orders and expecting you to do as you’re told. But if I win…” She turned to face Leonie again. “Then you will know just how big the gap between you and the professor really is, and I expect you to fall in line and heed her every order.”

Leonie let out a low whistle. “You must be pretty confident, princess. I find it hard to believe that you would leave something so important to a duel.”

A wry smirk was doing its best to penetrate through Edelgard’s stoic demeanour. Her self-control won out in the end, and all that came through was a slight tug at the corner of her lips as she hoisted her axe over shoulder, head cocked to the side. “Are you telling me that you’re not?”

Leonie grinned back wolfishly. “I’m in.”

Edelgard nodded at her approval and stuck out her hand. Leonie grabbed it and attempted to squeeze as hard as she can, intent on making the first power play. What she didn’t expect was for the dainty, little princess in front of her to squeeze back even harder. Was she imagining things, or did she just hear a joint crack?

“Something wrong?” Edelgard asked in faux concern. “Second thoughts, perhaps?”

“Just thinking about the victory speech I’m gonna give after I win this. I know how much you nobles love your speeches.” Leonie did her best to hide her grimace at the strength Edelgard had just displayed. Given that Edelgard was coming dangerously close to a full on smirk now it seemed that she hadn’t succeeded.

“So you say.” Edelgard walked over to the other side of the arena and began to work through a few stretches and warm up exercises. “Best start warming up, Leonie.”

Leonie took her position and went through some stretches of her own. _‘So she’s a little stronger than she looks._ _That doesn’t mean anything. She’s just another prissy noble. Don’t let her get inside your head. The most she can do is sick her ghoul on me after she wins.’_

As the thought of Edelgards ghastly retainer crossed her mind, Leonie immediately froze mid stretch. Even the burn of being stuck in the awkward position of where she was bent over one leg didn’t register. After a few seconds to allow her body to catch up with her mind, Leonie rose immediately to an upright position and strode to the arena doors.

“Leonie?”

She opened the door and stuck her head out. Nothing there. Behind one of the pillars, perhaps?

“Leonie, what in the world are you doing?”

No, nothing there either. Should she check under the benches? An unlikely and crude hiding place to be sure, but you couldn’t be too careful.

“Oh for goodness sake- Hubert’s not here Leonie.”

“Yeah, I’m sure that’s what you _want_ me to think. Then, just as I’m about to place the final blow and win our little duel, BAM. A miasma right to the face.” ‘ _Nobody makes a fool out of Leonie Pinelli, no siree’,_ Leonie thought, on hands and knees in front of a bench, awkwardly peering underneath.

“Where do you even think he’s hiding? You’re literally just staring at a shadow right now.”

“Hey, if there’s anyone creepy and weird enough to literally materialize right out of a shadow, it’s Hubert.” Still, it didn’t look like he was going to appear out of _this_ particular shadow. Besides, even if he did show up, she’d kick his noodily little mage ass anyway. With a satisfied nod, she made her way back to her position and hefted her lance in a defensive stance. “Ready when you are, princess.”

Edelgard just rolled her eyes at the end of the display. “Honestly.” She lowered her axe to the side, knees lowering slightly. Her gait leaned slightly to the right, as she prepared to thrust her momentum into her axe at a moments notice. Time seemed to almost freeze as the two fighters stared at each other and sized each other up. Then, after what felt like forever but Leonie knew could only have been moments, Edelgard charged.

As Edelgard dashed toward her, axe raised above her head and poised to strike, Leonie held up her own weapon in a defensive position. She’d gotten the timing of her block perfectly, just as she’d expected.

What she hadn’t expected was for a swing so mighty that it caused her arms to buckle.

‘KER-CRACK!’

 _‘Holy Shit!’_ Leonie thought, eyes going wide as her arms wobbled dangerously. Edelgard, observant and analytical as always, saw her weakness straight away and moved to capitalise. As soon as Leonie would somehow block one blow, another, just as devastatingly powerful, would follow it up. For as cornered and sore as Leonie felt, Edelgard didn’t seem to be showing any signs of exhaustion whatsoever. It was well-known how heavy and lumbering axes were to wield, yet Edelgard swung and whirled hers around as easily as one would a toothpick. Yet, for as fast and brutal as the attacks were, Edelgard telegraphed them just enough so that Leonie would be able to block them accordingly.

 _‘She’s toying with me.’_ Leonie thought bitterly. Probably trying to drive home just how arrogant she’d been in saying she was above the professor’s advice. Not that it mattered. She was getting backed up near the weapons rack, and with it, the end of the arena. Whether Edelgard was going easy on her or not, she wouldn’t last much longer on the defensive like this. _‘What would captain Jeralt do at a time like this? What would he do if he felt cornered and defeated?’_

A mental image of an exhausted Jeralt taking a long, deep swig of his flask immediately came to the front of her mind.

 _‘Okay, uh…. What_ else _would captain Jeralt do at a time like this?’_

Well, she’d heard this advice before. The one thing your opponents normally don’t expect is for you to start fighting dirty. Especially when those opponents are nobles.

She grabbed the (thankfully) empty weapons rack behind her and wrenched it as hard as she could in Edelgard’s direction.

The princess in question whelped in shock, hurriedly scrambling back to avoid the falling equipment, giving Leonie the time to roll out of the way and put some distance between them. Edelgard stared at the fallen item for a moment before turning back to Leonie with a … surprisingly thoughtful expression on her face?

“As good a reminder as any to watch your surroundings I suppose. It appears the apple does not fall far from the tree after all when it comes to teaching methods.” She raised her axe again, but this time in a defensive position, held out in front of her as if to ward off any other expected manoeuvres.

‘ _Looks like I caught her off guard a little, thank the goddess._ ’ Leonie thought to herself, using the time to catch her breath and get some feeling back into her arms. ‘ _How the hell is this dainty little princess even able to swing so hard anyway? Although, now that I’m actually looking at her, hers arms do look pretty buff… They look_ super _buff actually. And damn, how broad are her shoulders? I bet her back is totally ripped too. I wonder if she’ll tell me her workout regime? Maybe she can give me some tips in these training sessions- no, damn it,_ focus _!’_ Leonie really need to get her head in the game, who knew how long she had before Edelgard moved to strike again.

Her opponent still seemed content to wait however. Perhaps wanting to see if any more surprises were in play before she committed to attacking again.

 _‘Looks I’ll be the one setting the pace for the duel now. Lances are at a disadvantage against axes, but I’ll still have the range advantage.’’_ She tried to gauge the distance between them. 20 metres, maybe? _‘If I press an assault like she did earlier, I should be able to avoid letting her getting inside my range and overpowering me.’_ Leonie tensed her back leg and lowered her stance, and held her lance tense behind her as she readied her charge.

With a mighty war cry that would make even Caspar cover his ears, Leonie pushed off and accelerated towards her opponent. Gathering all of her strength, she threw all of her power into the thrust of her lance intent on giving Edelgard a taste of her own medicine.

Which made it rather anti climactic when Edelgard gracefully span out of the path of her weapon, leaving her to stumble over her own two feet as her lunge met empty air when she had expected some resistance. She quickly scrambled back around to face her opponent, only to find Edelgard content to simply watch her, the same smug, arrogant aloofness present on her features as always.

“I did warn you about widening you stance and engaging your core when you thrust. There’s no point in unleashing a powerful strike if an improper stance causes you to fall straight after.”

Leonie grit her teeth as she charged again. Any patience she might have had was gone now after one embarrassment too many, and with it all chances of her heeding any advice. Again and again she thrust her lance at Edelgard trying all she could to put some pressure on. Yet the Adrestian dodged everything, whirling and twisting away from her lance strikes. She wasn’t even bothering to block!

“You’re still over committing to these lunges and leaving yourself open.” Edelgard commented, deftly bobbing her head to the side and easily avoiding a blow that had been aimed at her temple.

“So.” Thrust. “Start.” Thrust. “Fighting.” “BACK!” THRUST!

Edelgard nodded “Very well then”. She finally raised her axe to parry Leonie’s wild blows, the force of it once again so great that it ripped her lance straight out of her hands. “Grip _still_ not strong enough.”

Leonie quickly dove down to retrieve her weapon, and in doing so played right into Edelgard’s hands. A quick stomp on the tip of the lance caused to other end to snap up and whack Leonie on the point of her chin, sending her reeling. Edelgard immediately followed it up by driving the pommel of her axe into Leonie’s stomach. Her cheeks bulged as she could feel all of the air leaving her body, only to then be followed by her back painfully slamming onto the floor below. While she dazedly stared at the ceiling, she felt the weight of a boot on top of her collarbone.

“Do you yield then? Will you follow our professor’s every instruction?” Called the blurry collection of shapes that may or may not have been Edelgard.

As she blinked in her daze and tried to catch her bearings, she recalled one of the first things captain Jeralt taught her all those years ago. _‘The most important thing you can know is your own limits. The best mercenaries know when they’re in over their head and when to walk away.’_ She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. _‘Guess I’ve still got a ways to go.’_

“I yield. Hope this professor of yours comes through with a good strategy.”

Edelgard smiled, a real honest smile, not a smirk or a half grin, and reached out her hand to haul up Leonie.

“That was a surprisingly sneaky move with the lance, by the way.” Leonie did her best to tidy some of the dirt off of her uniform. “I’m actually kind of impressed, I thought Claude was the only royal who liked to fight dirty.”

Edelgard gave her a half shrug. “You’re not the only one who has been taught by an Eisner. Although I must admit, even she would have been caught off guard by you throwing that weapons rack. Had I not reacted quickly enough you may have won the duel right there.”

Leonie perked up at that. “Really?”

Edelgard nodded a few times, also caught up in the exhilaration that followed from a good spar. “Honestly, you lasted much longer than most of my classmates tend to in my duels. Only Petra has put up more of a challenge.”

She could feel her prior elation at the princess’ praise recede immediately. _‘So I wouldn’t even be top two in the Black Eagles class? Is the gap between me and the professor really that big?’_ Edelgard must have noticed her change in mood, and her face shifted in… contrition, perhaps?

“I apologise, by the way, if I made you feel like I was looking down on you for being a commoner. I know better than most that the status of one’s birth speaks nothing to their character or their abilities. It’s just… all of my classmates are my responsibility, and that goes for any students coming along with us on a mission too. I’ve been told that this makes me rather condescending and overbearing at times, but if that’s the price I must pay if it means we may all be better prepared and come back from these missions alive, then so be it.”

“Believe me princess, after that display I can tell your arrogance is much more well-earned than the rest of the nobles here. And your dramatics are way more impressive too.”

Edelgard looked deeply affronted at Leonie’s (accurate) assertion. “I am most certainly _not_ dramatic.” The complete sidestepping of the accusation of arrogance showed that was a claim even Edelgard could not dispute.

“Oh? That move where you dodged my strike by tilting your head- you mean to tell me that was the most efficient way to dodge? That wasn’t you just trying to look cool?”

“I-“ Leonie grinned as she saw Edelgard struck speechless at the realization. She crossed her arms and looked away in an attempt to regain her composure, but there was no denying Leonie’s word. “That wasn’t my _intention_ , at any rate.”

Leonie chuckled. “So you’re naturally dramatic instead of purposely dramatic, if anything that just proves my point.” She eased her grin into a friendly smile. “It was pretty badass, if that helps.”

Edelgard smiled back. “At least there’s some cushioning for my ego.”

Leonie’s face turned pensive. “It wasn’t because of you that my mood dropped a bit there, though I do appreciate the apology. It was just humbling to realise how big the gap between the professor and I really is.”

“I thought that might be the case. Is that why you insist on regularly training so early, Leonie? You look so tired, I can’t imagine that’s just from our duel.”

“Hey give yourself some credit, you hit _really_ hard.” The attempted levity felt flat even to her ears, so she stopped trying to force her grin. “Look, isn’t this a bit hypocritical? You were just saying earlier that you train even earlier.”

“Yes, that is true. The difference is I don’t rise early with the intent to train. I train early because I am already awake.” Edelgard was clearly uncomfortable at the concept of sharing any sort of vulnerability, as she could no longer look at Leonie and chose to glance at the wall beside her instead. “I have always had… difficulty when it comes to sleeping.”

Leonie thought as hard as she could about how to respond to such openness. “That’s not as uncommon around here as you might think.”

“Yes, I am aware. There are certain… memories, I suppose, that save themselves for the silence and dead of the night It is unsurprising that other students face them as well. I choose to train and exhaust my body rather than exhaust my mind. But this is how I have lived for my entire life, and it is something that my body has learned to endure. I know it’s hypocritical, but I would still much prefer that others do not follow my example.”

Despite the heavy air than now hung in the arena, Leonie still scoffed at that. “Do as I say, not as I do, is that right?”

Edelgard was smiling again, but it where before it was filled with warmth, now it seemed to show only sadness and self-depreciation. “What can I say, I’m the worst.”

She wasn’t sure if it was just a regular pang of sympathy, or perhaps some camaraderie that begin to build from their duel, but Leonie was instantly compelled to defend Edelgard. “You’re not that bad.” She awkwardly scratched the back of her head. It must have been difficult for someone as naturally guarded as Edelgard to be open with her. The least she could do was respond in kind. “My family doesn’t have a lot of money. Nobody in my village does. It feels like almost everything we earn goes straight to taxes for the local alliance representatives, and whatever’s left is just enough to survive. I never would’ve been able to afford to get in here if I had to do it on my own. Despite that, the whole village came together and raised the money to help me realise my dream. How can I give anything less than 100% effort all the time after all the hard work they did to just get me in the door? I dunno, maybe it doesn’t make much sense to someone who’s never had to struggle for money.”

She felt Edelgard’s hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Edelgard finally looking at her again. “You have people you feel that you owe everything to, and so you dedicate yourself to them. Believe me Leonie, I understand more than you think. But please, think on it: if they truly care about you as much as it seems, what would they say if they saw you working yourself to the point of fatigue?”

Leonie scratched the back of her head again in abashment. “I guess my dad wouldn’t be too happy if he saw how tired I was every day… actually he’d probably call me a stubborn fool and cuff me on the back of the head. Oh, and Mr. Dhuvere, he’s the blacksmith, he’d lecture me for like an hour straight. The healer would give me _such_ a dirty look if I had to visit just because of fatigue...” Leonie frowned at her realization and shook her head. “I hear what you’re saying princess. I’ll tone down the training.”

Edelgard beamed at that. “Wonderful! I’m glad that you could see reason. Now, about the schedule for the next black eagles training session-“

“BUT!” Leonie dramatically thrust her arm out and pointed straight in Edelgard’s face. “I got conditions!”

Edelgard stared down dumbfounded at the finger inches away from the tip of her nose, before slowly lifting her eyes. “… Conditions?”

“Yep!” She withdrew her finger and now positioned both hands onto her hips. “Seeing as we both agree you are a complete hypocrite when it comes to over-training.”

“That is not _quite_ how I phrased it-“

“So! If I’m going to dial down the training, that means you should too.” Here she relaxed her posture and aimed a softer smile at Edelgard. “I know our reasons are different, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay for you to avoid sleeping either.”

Edelgard uncharacteristically began to fidget here. “I’m not sure if I can. Sleep can be quite… unpleasant.”

Leonie nodded. “I get that. Still, can you try? Maybe see if Manuela has any tonics that may help? I know it doesn’t seem like it, but she really does know her stuff.”

Edelgard grimaced. “I can’t say I’m particularly enthusiastic about telling anyone else about my insomnia.” She sighed, before her lips firmed resolutely into a thin line. “Very well. I can’t promise that I will sleep better from tonight, but I suppose the least I can do is try. Now, I imagine most of the Monastery has made it to the mess hall by this point, what would you say to grabbing a meal? I can go over our class schedule with you on the way.”

Leonie beamed. “Sounds great!” She took one step towards the exit, felt her knees buckle, instantly fell forward onto her hands, felt _those_ tremble too, before finally face planting onto the floor. “On second thought, I think I’m just gonna stay here for the rest of my life instead.”

Edelgard gasped. “Leonie!” Edelgard knelt down next to her and eased her onto her back. “I- My sincerest apologies. I did not mean to get so carried away.”

“You know, you’re right. This _is_ totally your fault.”

“Hold on now, that’s hardly fair. You don’t think your fatigue and weakness due to your strenuous over-training had any effect?”

“Well that can’t possibly be true.”

“Why ever not?”

“Because then that would make this _my_ fault too.”

Edelgard let out a long-suffering sigh. “Change of plans. Looks like we’re heading to the infirmary instead.” She placed one hand under Leonie’s neck, the other under her knees, and before Leonie even knew what was happening Edelgard was already carrying her to the infirmary.

“What the- Edelgard! Put me down! I can walk fine.”

“Oh? Can you now? Then the reason you just fell flat on your face was because you were just so intent on studying the flooring then?”

“Uh…”

“Because otherwise, it seems to me you fell down due to your body’s fatigue catching up to you.”

“I mean… I guess so.”

“And if that’s the case, then given our very extensive discussion over this and the declarations we both made, I suggest you stop struggling and just accept my help.”

Leonie huffed. “ _Fine._ ” She said, stopping her flailing to reluctantly loop her arms around Edelgard’s neck. Oh man, this was _so_ embarrassing. What if Byleth saw them? She couldn’t let her arch-rival see her in such a state of weakness-

“You know princess, I bet you look amazingly powerful carrying me like this. Why, imagine if professor Byleth saw just how _dashing_ you must look right now?”

Whatever composure Edelgard held earlier in their discussion about Byleth was gone now that she had been caught off guard, and the redness in her cheeks was almost instant. “Wha- Byleth- _Dashing?!”_

Leonie hummed coyly in response. Oh man, she could practically feel the heat radiating off Edelgard’s body right now. If she was gonna feel embarrassed on the walk to the infirmary, why it was only fair that Edelgard did too. This situation _was_ both their faults after all.

“Now Leonie, I think you have the wrong idea about the professor and I. Our relationship isn’t like that.”

“Of course, Edelgard.”

“Any observations you may have made are missing context, Leonie.”

“Of course, Edelgard.”

“Our relationship and my interest in her is _strictly academic, Leonie._ ”

“Of course, Edelgard.”

“You… you don’t believe any of what I’m saying, do you?”

Leonie smiled brightly. “Not even a little, Edelgard.”

Leonie chuckled and nuzzled her head into Edelgard's neck as the princess began muttering under her breath. Some small snippets about ‘could just drop you’ and ‘despise all gingers’ were just discernible. Looks like working with the Black Eagles was going to be a lot more fun than she might have thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All! As horrible as this year as has been, one of the good things to come from it as that it's motivated me to start writing again for the first time in years. I've really come to love the story and cast of Fire Emblem: Three Houses. The characters especially have really stuck with me over a year later in a way the series never really managed with me before even as a long time fan, especially the character of Edelgard. What can I say, I just really like characters who are initially kind of stand-offish loners opening up to the rest of the cast and coming to view them as family (Edelgard and Hubert here, or Edgeworth and Franziska in Ace Attorney).
> 
> Not sure if I'll cover every potential recruit, at the moment I'm kind of just planning to write for the ones where I feel it make sense for them to want to follow Edelgard. Leonie is a character where I can easily see due to her mistrust of the church and her eventual loyalty to Byleth. She also makes a fun contrast with Edelgard as even though they come from different backgrounds, they both dislike nobility, they're both arrogant and stubborn, they're both working hard and dedicating their lives for other people (for Leonie its her village, for Edelgard her siblings killed in the experiments). It's also super fun writing them being obsessed with their respective Eisners.
> 
> Please leave any comments or kudos if you're willing. My writing is very rusty right now so any constructive criticism is much appreciated.


	2. Sylvain I

It was a brilliantly bright day in Garreg Mach as Sylvain Gautier walked along the path to the Black Eagles Classroom. It was as if the sun itself could see the change in the air and was feeling energised at the possibilities it presented. He stared up at the endearingly musty tapestry along the doors and allowed himself to bask in it. Studying under the gorgeous new professor was certainly a suitable reward for helping to take down his asshole brother. He made sure to put on his most dashing grin as he confidently strode through the doors. “Good morning to all the beautiful ladies of the Black Eagles house! No need to continue worrying, the moment, and the man, you’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived!”

Dorothea, as the closest to the door, was the first to spot him. She just stared at Sylvain for a moment with a long-suffering look before turning back to the teacher at the front of the class. “Professor, why are you doing this to us?”

Professor Byleth herself was fixing him with a look that on anyone else would be considered blank, yet on her somehow seemed to come off as put-upon. “It seemed like a good idea at the time. Although the reasons currently escape me.”

“Come now, after how much I helped out at Conrad Tower? Admit it professor, either you were impressed by my skills or you’ve been won over by my dashing good looks.” He threw in a wink for good measure. Neither the professor nor any of the female students seemed particularly impressed by it.

“Sylvain, do you remember the discussion we had about your request to join the class? Our extensive discussion, about what is and is not appropriate behaviour towards the faculty and your fellow students?”

It really was quite impressive how threatening her sentences could sound when there was no inflection put on them whatsoever. Sylvain grimaced and nodded along. “Then go ahead and find a seat please.”

Sylvain walked up to the desk next Dorothea and gave her a devil may cry smirk. “Well, well. If it isn’t the beautiful songstress of the academy, Dorothea Arnault herself. Tell me gorgeous, is this seat-?”

“Yes.” Dorothea responded before he’d even finished his sentence. “That’s Petra’s seat.”

“Oh.” There was an awkward pause as he came to terms with the quick rejection, drumming his hands on the currently empty desk for a moment before he tried the grin again. “… So you’re telling me that the seat next to Petra is free then?”

Sylvain felt the air around Dorothea begin to crackle and hastily backed away. “Alright, alright, message received!”

His next few attempts to find a desk were similarly unsuccessful. There was a high pitched warbling coming from underneath Bernadetta’s desk that increased in volume the closer he got, and Leonie honest to goddess _growled_ at him when he tried the seat next to her. Edelgard didn’t make as much of a fuss from the front of the class during this time, but the look she shot him when he tried the seat next to Lysithea would have turned a lesser man to stone. Honestly, he would have been insulted if he weren’t so terrified. Lysithea was, what, twelve? What did she think he was going to do? He eventually managed to claim the desk between Hubert and Ferdinand.

“Ah, Sylvain, good to have you with us!” Ferdinand beamed back at him from his seat in front. “Always good to have another of noble blood among our ranks.” Sylvain managed a wan smile that. At least _someone_ was happy to have him here. Even if the comment about noble blood made his insides twist uncomfortably. Hubert, meanwhile, looked about as happy with this new seating arrangement as Seteth did whenever he saw Sylvain within one hundred metres of Flayn.

His seat claimed and the class eventually filled, the professor began her lecture for the day. What was likely old-hat for the rest of the class by this point felt like a mini-revelation. He knew the professor was brilliant after following her lead in the battle at Conrad Tower. Hell, it was the reason he asked to transfer. _‘Well’_ Sylvain amended, eyes sweeping over the professor’s form and roaming up and down her legs, barely covered by her revealing tights. _‘One of the reasons, certainly.’_ Still, a gifted leader did not necessarily make a good teacher. Yet Byleth’s lectures were much more engaging than he would have thought, her perspective eye opening. Come to think of it, she might be the first teacher he’d ever had who wasn’t a noble. Hanneman was as smart as they came, and his knowledge of crests and history was second to none, but as a scholar he didn’t have quite the same experience when it came to combat. More to the point, it felt like he was as bored of giving his lectures as Sylvain was of listening to them.

It seemed this was to be a class of new experiences, as a discussion on defensive tactics in warfare found him actively engaged in a classroom for the first time ever.

“In order to combat the incursion from their first ever contact with Sreng, Faerghus nobles used their knowledge of the land to outlast the invaders.” Lysithea held herself confidently as she spoke. Sylvain had to stop himself from calling out how adorable she was when she practically started preening at Edelgard’s impressed look. “They knew that the invaders would be dependant on raiding villages and fields for food and supplies, so the lords of Faerghus took the initiative of taking all crops and grains and burning the villages themselves. With no food left behind, the enemy inevitably starved. Brutal and underhanded, but effective.”

“Actually, that’s not necessarily true.” He allowed himself to revel in the attention as the whole class turned to him. Well, now he had to follow through. “Not about the tactics used, but the history between our countries. The history we have of Sreng _does_ paint them as the conquering invaders, but that history only goes back two hundred or so years. Anything before that point is unknown.”

Edelgard was the one to voice the question the class was now mulling over. “Are you saying that current texts could be incorrectly characterising historical relations between Faerghus and Sreng?”

“Not exactly. I’m simply saying that our recorded history only goes back two hundred years, which means we might be missing the full picture.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever that picture may be, who’s to say?”

Edelgard was considering him carefully now. “You’re quite well versed on the land of Sreng, Sylvain.”

Ah, this was why he normally kept quiet during class. Best to intervene before they started developing _expectations_. “Hardly your majesty. As a Gautier, I’ve had the misfortune of overhearing many conversations about our neighbours.” He gave her his best winning smile, the one that made the village girls swoon just so. “I can give you a private history lesson, if you’d like.”

He could practically _feel_ Hubert’s murderous intent after that blatant attempt. Edelgard herself however was much too focused on the topic of their conversation to give it any heed. “If the situation is as you say, then surely there should be a focus on scouring libraries for this lost history? If the relationship between Sreng and Faerghus was ever peaceful, then there must be some sort of record as to what soured that relationship. To find out why they are so intent on invading could be the starting point to negotiating some sort of ceasefire.”

Well, this was a turn he hadn’t quite expected. Edelgard certainly had a point. That was the whole reason he started studying Sreng history in the first place. Alas, she was an outsider and so hadn’t had to bump head first into the same roadblock that he did. She did not know the cold and unyielding ways of Faerghus. Faerghus did not compromise. “It’s a nice dream your majesty, but that’s all it is I’m afraid.”

Edelgard narrowed her eyes. “How so?

“Yeah!” Lysithea piped up. “If relations were peaceful in the past, who’s to say they couldn’t be again?”

“However things might have been in the past, that is information that Faerghus does not have. What Faerghus does have is crests and our traditions and our honour. So long as we have those we will repel every Sreng invasion until they yield. We have no need to negotiate.” Sylvain smiled. “At least, that’s what the lords in power believe.”  
  
Lysithea scoffed. “But that’s so _stupid_.”

Ah, wasn’t it just? How refreshing to hear that from a classmate that wasn’t Felix for a change. “That’s Faerghus.”

The bells chimed then, bringing and end to both the class and the discussion.

Byleth clapped her hands for their attention. “Remember, our training session is at noon tomorrow in the training hall. I expect to see all of you there, which means _you_ Lindhardt. Also, your essays about siege tactics are due by the end of the week. Sylvain.” She said to him as he rose from his seat. “Please come with me to my office.”

“Sure thing, professor.” Then, because he just couldn’t help himself, he added, “Going to give me some one-on-one tutoring then?”

Byleth didn’t so much as blink. “Until you decide to stop treating life as a game, all of the tutoring in the world would not be enough to help you.” Whether his innuendo went over her head or she had just elected to ignore it completely, he was suitably chastised either way. Red faced and tail between his legs, he followed her to her office.

 _‘Huh.’_ he thought as she led him in the opposite direction to what he had expected. Instead they had made their way to a small building not too far from the courtyard dormitories. _‘I thought all of the teachers had their offices on the second floor. Why is the professor’s office so far away from the rest of them?’_ An odd situation for an even odder teacher, to be sure.

She unlocked the door to let them in. While she had her back to him, Sylvain took the opportunity to discreetly study the abode of the enigma before him. He had been hoping to get a sense of her personality. What he got instead was a room completely devoid of any affections or decorations. No personal possessions on display. If not for the sheets haphazardly strewn across the bed he wouldn’t have even thought the room was being used at all. For Sothis’ sake, he’d seen _caskets_ with more personality than this place.

“I have something for you.” Byleth said, as she rummaged around under her bed. Sylvain perked up at that. A gift? Perhaps she’d found him more appealing than she let on?

As she pulled out a long bundle wrapped in cloth from underneath her bed and made her way over to him, Sylvain felt his prior elation immediately turn to dread. No matter how it was disguised or hidden, he could never mistake his brother’s killer.

“The Lance of Ruin.” He murmured. “I thought the Archbishop would have wanted to keep this with the church.” He had been counting on it, in fact, to spare him from ever having to look at the wretched thing again. Father certainly wouldn’t have been happy, but then father was never happy anyway.

Byleth nodded. “She did. Seteth argued for it rather strongly, too. I convinced them otherwise.”  
  
He could have cried at the irony of it all. “Why?”

“It is a relic of House Gautier. It belongs to you.” She studied him for a moment. “Please don’t make me regret this, Sylvain.” She offered him the lance like she was bestowing upon him a gift rather than handing him the key to lock the door to his jail cell.

 _‘And what of my regrets, professor?’_ Sylvain thought bitterly. He tried a smirk. He hoped it didn’t look half as rotten as he felt. “You can count on me.”

His hand clenched, and the lance held within began to pulse and writhe.

\---

Doubts and worries plagued Sylvain’s mind after his meeting with the professor. What did she see in him that made her trust him with such a devastating thing? Could he handle the weapon that killed his brother? Did he even want to? It was a time of turmoil that called for introspection and self-reflection.

Naturally, his response was to ignore all of that completely and focus on getting laid instead. No need to change a winning formula after all. In a particularly impressive feat, he’d actually managed to convince two girls from the town just outside Garrag Mach to go on a date with him at the same time. Well, he thought a feat worthy of song, his friend’s hadn’t been quite as impressed. When he told them the news Felix scoffed and rolled his eyes, Dimitri just looked uncomfortable and awkward, while Ingrid immediately grabbed her heavy textbook and started beating him over the head with it. They must have been jealous.

There was a knock on the door. That must be the lucky ladies now. “I hope you ladies are ready for a night you’ll never forget.” He claimed as he threw open the door. A date with two gorgeous women, this must be what heaven felt like.

“Rest assured that I shall endeavour to contain myself at the very prospect.” Said the shadowy visage of Hubert von Vestra, as Sylvain’s heaven quickly turned into hell.

“Hubert!” Sylvain forced out through a smile of grit teeth. “What _nice surprise_ , to have you seek me out like this. I had no idea I was even your type.”

“Oh yes. A lazy, arrogant, lecherous flirt. What’s not to love? “ He eyed Sylvain up and down, taking his measure and clearly finding him lacking. “I am here on Lady Edelgard’s behalf. She wishes to speak with you.”

A meeting with Edelgard? Honestly, he was probably overdue a chat with his new house leader. They had barely spoken since he practically begged her and the professor to allow him to come on the mission against his brother. At any rate, talking to Edelgard was certainly more appealing than a discussion with Hubert. Still, he did have more pressing concerns at the moment. “As much as I’d love to, I have a prior arrangement with two girls from the village. Tell her I’m more than willing to reschedule, thought I’d much rather do it in person. I’d certainly hate to take away from your busy schedule of looming around and digging through people’s trash for blackmail.”

Hubert chuckled, and the sound of it immediately set Sylvain’s teeth on edge. He had to practice that in his room in his spare time, no one had a laugh that creepy just naturally. “Ah yes, I actually ran into your two guests on my way to see you.”

Sylvain felt his stomach drop. “You did?”

“Indeed. I informed them that tonight’s plans were actually for a double date with you and I, and they soon remembered that they were actually quite busy with chores tonight. Shocking really, that they only just remembered.” Sylvain’s jaw clenched. Hubert gave him a sardonic smile in return. “On the positive side, it appears your schedule has just cleared up. What a boon.”

Sylvain fought the urge to groan. All that groundwork _wasted_. “I’m just amazed that they were able pull themselves away from your sparkling personality.” Sylvain drummed his hand against the doorframe as he adopted an expression of mock contemplation. “I have to be honest Hubert, hearing this has really impacted my mood. Suppose I’m just not up to seeing Edelgard right now?”

Hubert’s grin gained an edge to it. As far as threatening grins went, it was annoyingly ambiguous. It could mean anything from ‘If you do this Lady Edelgard will be mildly disappointed’ to ‘If you do this I will poison you, cut you into little pieces, and use the remains as fertiliser for the greenhouse.’ Bah, best not to risk it. It’s not like he had a problem with getting to talk to Edelgard. “Give me a moment.”

He went to his bedside table and grabbed the two bouquets of crimson roses laying on top. Hubert immediately clucked his tongue in offense. “Do you honestly believe such cheap gifts will be enough to impress Lady Edelgard?”

“Honestly, if they were I’d be a tad disappointed.”

“Then why bother?”

Sylvain just smiled airily at him. ”Come on Hubert, even you must know that it’s bad form to meet a lady without a gift. Lead away, O Shadow of the Empire.”

They found Edelgard seated at the gazebo in the gardens. She looked up at their approach. “Ah, a pleasure to see you Sylvain.” She nodded to Hubert, who bowed in return and began to make his leave.

“Wait, you’re leaving?” He called out, momentarily dumbstruck. Of all the ways he expected this meeting to go, Hubert departing immediately wasn’t one of them. Sylvain couldn’t believe his potential luck. What next, would he find fifty gold pieces under his pillow? “You’re not worried about leaving me alone with her majesty?”

“Rest assured Sylvain, in the event your hands start to wander to places they shouldn’t, Lady Edelgard is more than powerful enough to snap your wrists like the feeblest of twigs. My only regret is that I would not be around to witness it.”  
  
Edelgard sighs “Yes, thank you for the lovely imagery. That will be all, Hubert.” He bowed again in acquiescence before leaving for good this time. “I apologise for his behaviour, Sylvain. I hope he didn’t force you into coming here. I only asked that he see if you were free to talk.” Hmm, she knew Hubert better than anyone. Did she truly believe that if she wanted to meet with Sylvain, Hubert would have stopped at nothing to ensure he do so? Ah well, no point thinking on that. He was here now anyway.

“I’m just happy that he’s left us alone. I personally feel much more comfortable having a date where I don’t have to worry about being assassinated.”

Edelgard raised an eyebrow at the choice of words but said nothing. “Yes, I prefer for my conversation partners to not be on edge because of Hubert. If they are to feel intimidated, I’d much rather it is because of me.” Sylvain laughed at that, only for it to uncomfortably peter out as Edelgard stared at him unblinking. _‘Why do you even_ need _a Hubert?’_ Sylvain thought. _‘You’re plenty intimidating already.’_ “ I have something for you.” He said instead, handing her the bouquets.

“My, how thoughtful.” She said as she reached over to take them. “You even picked my favourite colour. I have something for you too, as a matter of fact.”

What should have been a blessing instead felt like the beginnings of a curse. “Oh?” Surely it couldn’t have been as bad as the last ‘gift’ he received?

She grabbed a book that was resting on the table in front of her. He hadn’t even realised it was there. “I believe this belongs to you.”

He grabbed the book. It was ‘The History of Sreng’. Well, as gifts go, a book he’d lost was certainly better than his brother’s murder weapon. Although he wasn’t sure he liked that Edelgard knew what he was researching in his spare time.

“Such an interesting choice of literature for someone who… ‘overheard’ everything he knows about Sreng.”

So that was the purpose of this meeting then. Goddess damn it, this is what he gets for paying attention in class. Never again! As a matter of fact, he’d be ditching tomorrow out of principle. “You know your majesty, if you wanted to ask me out on a date you needn’t be so indirect about it! As if I could ever turn down a potential romance with the charming Imperial princess?”

Edelgard was nonplussed. “Are you honestly trying to throw me off by pretending this is a date?”

“Pretending? Come now, your majesty. Here I am, alone with a beautiful woman who has retruned to me a lost item, getting to know each other, it certainly sounds like a date to me.” He flashed is signature grin. “And believe me, I’ve been on a few.”

“Precious few second dates though, from my understanding.” Sylvain blinked. Wait, was that a joke? Were royals allowed to do that? The last joke he ever heard from Dimitri was a knock-knock joke. When he was _six_. “Ouch your majesty, if you’re going to try fishing for information I was expecting you’d be a bit more gentle with me.”

For the first time, Edelgard smiled at him. “Oh good. For a moment I was worried I’d overestimated you.”

“With your keen examining eye? I find it hard to believe you miss anything.”

Edelgard rested her hand on her cheek as she looked at him. While she appeared relaxed, Sylvain could see that her body was still tensed and alert. It was like watching Dimitri whenever he tried to lounge, the stress of a ruling did not wait until one’s coronation. “Trying to get me to open up with a compliment… Honestly, and they tried to tell me that those from Faerghus were less politically minded.”

“Ah well, we all have our strengths. Dimitri, Felix, and Ingrid are really good at hitting people with weapons, while I’ve always been a smooth talker.”

Edelgard’s smile turned airy. “Truly? Well, you’re certainly a talker. I’ve yet to see any evidence of being smooth.”

Sylvain mock gasped and held his hand to his heart. “Oh, you certainly don’t mince your words your majesty. Seems that you’re as cold as they say.”

Edelgard eyed him appraisingly. “Yes, it appears that we are both adept at playing the role people expect of us.”

Sylvain physically fought the urge to react to that. Did Edelgard think they were similar? Honestly, he hoped for her sake that wasn’t true. He pitied anyone who was anything like him. “Not everyone is as perceptive as you it seems, Edelgard. What can I say, I’d hate to disappoint all the ladies coming to me expecting only a pretty face.”

Edelgard hummed thoughtfully. “Honestly, I’ve seen prettier around here.”

Sylvain actually did gasp in offence at that one. Mocking his character was one thing; he had no objections there, but he would not stand for any insult on his looks! “Oh no, I can’t let that one go. You think there’s a man here prettier than me? You can’t be talking about Felix, he frowns so much you’d need to hang him upside down to ever see him smile. Not Ferdinand either, I can’t even tell you what he’s trying to do with his hair. Maybe Claude, I could see that, or-“ His faced paled. “Please, _please_ tell me you’re not talking about Lorenz. I respect you too much to believe you’re attracted to that weird coconut-head style he’s going with.”

Edelgard, who had been steadily growing more and more repulsed as he went through his list of potential competitors, finally had to intervene. Lorenz was clearly the final straw. “Honestly, why must I be talking about a man?”

Sylvain couldn’t hide his reaction this time as his lower lip was left slightly agape at the revelation. “You like girls?”

“They certainly make for more tolerable companions than most of the men here.”

He should have left it at that. That was not a small thing for a future ruler to reveal to him. He should nod his head and move the conversation along graciously. “Have you been with more girl here than I have?”

Yeah, nope, that was the wrong way to respond to that revelation. He could see that now, didn’t even need Edelgard’s answering glare to realise that. _‘Why, but why do I insist on opening my mouth instead of listening to my brain?’_

“I’m not sure if I should be insulted by your question or bemused that you believe I can offer any advice that would make you tolerable to women.”

Sylvain winced. Harsh, but fair. That was a thoughtless question even by his standards.

“I’m honestly surprised that my statement appears to have made you uncomfortable.” Her glare lessened as she studied Sylvain’s reaction. “Are same sex relationships not accepted in Faerghus?”

Sylvain almost had to bite his tongue to stifle a laugh lest it sound mocking. Most old Faerghus lords could scarcely comprehend a man and woman being nothing but friends. Seeing two men kiss would likely cause their heads to explode. “Can’t push out crest babies in a homosexual relationship.” Sylvain said with a bitterness that surprised even himself. Wether his vehemence caught Edelgard unaware though, he couldn’t say. “Sounds like it’s more socially acceptable in Enbarr.”

“Among the lower class, certainly. When it comes to nobles, it’s a bit more complicated. We are free to marry whomever we wish, yet we are also expected to have crest-bearing heirs just as you are. Your spouse is irrelevant, so long as you are willing to do your duty and produce a suitable heir through other means.”

His brows furrowed. “Other means?”

“This is how the tradition of taking a consort first began.” Edelgard scowled. “An ugly solution to a manufactured problem.”

They certainly didn’t teach them this about this side of history back home. “At least it’s better than Faerghus.”

“People deserve more. No one should have to settle for ‘better than nothing’.”

Sylvain nodded his head in agreement. “Yet we so rarely get what we deserve.”

There was a determined gleam in Edelgard’s eyes now. “That is the way of the world, but that is not the way it has to be.”

Sylvain blinked in surprise. “You think Fodlan can change?” This time he failed to halt the laughter that bubbled in his throat. So naïve, looks like they weren’t so similar after all. “Sorry princess, crests have run the world since before we were born and they’ll continue to do so long after we’re gone.”

“I don’t believe that.” Edelgard shot back determinedly. “I don’t think you do either, or you wouldn’t be reading into the History of Sreng in your spare time.”

Sylvain smiled wryly. “Who would have thought that the cold, unfeeling emperor-in-waiting was just a character played by the hopeless optimist underneath?”

Edelgard was starting to get frustrated now. “You think me naïve?”

“No need to take it as an insult, I think a bit of naivety is cute in a girl.” Still, he couldn’t deny everything she was saying. Not after he had been so careless with that stupid book. “I thought the same way as you once. Started reading all I could about the history of Sreng and their relationship with Faerghus, Gautier territory in particular. My father was quick to cut down my suggestion when I finally did manage to bring it up.” He frowned as he remembered his father’s rebuke. “Crests are what keep us in power, and crests are what are going to keep our borders safe. If you have time to daydream about our enemies then you have time to start narrowing down your choice for a wife, that’s what he told me.”

Edelgard frowned. “How foolish.”

“Preaching to the choir there. We live in a world where might makes right. Like I told you, dreams and ideals are nice, but that’s all they’ll ever be in the end.”

Edelgard did not respond as she studied his face. His face held only the emptiest attempt at a smile, while his hand was clenched and trembling on his knee. Tch, he was normally much better at keeping his bitterness under wraps than this. Seems that encountering optimism just naturally seemed to stir his inner resentment. How wretched. “I believe I’m coming to understand why you play the fool to hide a warrior’s scars.”

“I’m afraid you might be overestimating me. As much as I might look the gallant knight, I haven’t been involved in many battles.”

“I didn’t say you got them in battle.” She said quietly, as if even allowing the wind to overhear her words would be an unacceptable offense.

Whatever fires of resentment he was feeling before were beginning to turn to icy fear. He had barely been able to confront Miklain in life, he wasn’t sure he had the strength to face the spectre of his death. “There’s nothing noteworthy about those scars.”

Edelgard was still looking at him. He wasn’t sure if it said more about her or about himself that he was surprised to see the empathy and compassion in her face. “I disagree. If anything, I find it takes much more bravery to come to terms with the scars we receive outside of battle than the ones we earn within.” Sylvain couldn’t think of a rebuttal to that. “I’m sorry for your loss, Sylvain. Truly.”

He chuckled bitterly. “You’d be the first.” His mood turned contemplative in the way it always did now when he thought about his brother. “Whatever he felt, however much he suffered, he was still a monster.”

“Of course, I don’t deny it. Still, he was gifted tactician, and he was an inspiring enough leader to galvanise his men into following him. Not just any noble can claim either of those. He could have been something if he’d been recognised for what he was instead of being punished for what he wasn’t.”

“I would have settled for him being a decent human being.” ‘ _Or a good brother.’_ He thought to himself. “I get it, you know? I understand why he lashed out at a world that never gave him a chance. But did he have to take it out on me? I was his brother! I never had a say in my place any more than he did his.”

Edelgard reached over clasped his hands with hers. “Yet you miss him anyway.”

“I don’t even know why.” He blinked away tears he didn’t realise he still had to shed. “It’s not like he ever loved me anyway.”

“It’s because he was still your brother.” She told him. “It’s because you know how easily the roles could have been reversed. But most importantly of all, it’s because you’re a better man than he was.”

“There you go, overestimating me again.” Edelgard gave him a look like she could see right through him. It felt as if she could peer through the empty smiles and the pretty words to the wretch who survived underneath.

“I know it can be hard to believe the compliments of others when one can’t muster a kind word about themself, but you _are_ a good man Sylvain. If I didn’t believe that, then I would not have agreed with the professor when they discussed allowing you to transfer.”

Sylvain looked up in shock. “She… she talked about my transfer with you?”

Edelgard nodded. “Indeed. She was understandably hesitant at first given your… behaviour around women, but we both agreed that the strength of character and intelligence you showed at Conrad Tower deserved a chance. The strengths you’ve shown would make valuable assets.”

Assets. _Of course_. He should have known what this was about from the beginning. “The professor told you that she was going to let me keep the Lance of Ruin, didn’t she?”

Edelgard blinked, thrown off by the change in topic. “Well of course she did. How is that relevant?”

“The of course you wanted me as an _asset_. You knew I would have the Lance of Ruin.” He should have known. Nobody ever needed Sylvain the man. They just cared about his crest and the lance. It was true for Faerghus and it was true here as well.

Edelgard looked incredulous. “You think the professor and I agreed to your transfer just because you wield the Lance of Ruin?”

“No need to act so incredulously your majesty, we both know how much of a boon it is for you to have someone wielding the Lance of Ruin working with you. To have such a weapon wielded in your name. Was this you plan? Butter me up about my characters so that you could manipulate me into wielding the lance against the church’s enemies-”

“ _Sylvain.”_ It was just one word, but the power and authority she conveyed with it shut him up in an instant. Ingrid and Felix would have applauded. “Do you truly believe I agreed to your request because I am interested in your weapon? I do not presume to speak for the professor, but hear me well, Sylvain. I’ve seen some of the weapons that have been wielded in the name of the Empire. Frightening tools, capable of such death and destruction, that to see them in action would be to give you nightmares for the rest of your days. You actually think an Empire that already uses such horrible things has any interest in your little _stick_? I don’t care for your lance; I’m only interested in the man that wields it.”

Sylvain couldn’t think. Could hardly breathe. The words he’d been waiting to hear for so long, from the absolute last person he ever expected to say them. “But why?”

Edelgard frowned. “Because you are one of the few people here that sees Fodlan for how flawed it truly is. More than anyone else here, I think you know just how damaging the crest system is. That it’s created this perpetual system of the rich and the nobility continuing to become more powerful while the poor and the disadvantaged slip through the cracks. You are the only other person I know of here that has realised it can’t go on and has attempted to look for another way.” She frowned and looked him in the eyes, as if searching for something. “Yet you hide this behind your front of a mindless womanizer without a care.”

“Why try to be more when this is all that anyone is ever going to expect of me.” He let out a breath, and for the first time felt like he truly saw Edelgard. “You’re right, Edelgard. The world is broken. But no matter what we do or what we think, it’s not like we’re ever going to be able to do anything about it. However much power we might have, there’s only so much individuals can do against the system. One person can’t change the world, no matter how determined you are.”

Edelgard clucked her tongue. “Such a defeatist.”

“I prefer realist. You’re just an optimist.”

“Yet someone who says believes the things you say would never have insisted on coming along to Conrad Tower to try and take responsibility for their brother’s actions.” Again he had no rebuttal. Edelgard pressed onwards. “Put aside whether you believe it possible to change the world or not, does that mean we should just sit back and do nothing when we can see injustice being done? Do you honestly believe it’s pointless to try and change things for the better, or is that simply an excuse you tell yourself to justify never trying in the first place?”

Trying was dangerous. Doing nothing meant you could just accept your fate and move on. To try was to admit that you still had hope for success. “What if we try and it’s not enough? What if we try and still fail to change anything in the first place? What’s the point then?”

Edelgard grabbed one of the bouquets containing a bunch of crimson roses. She was quiet for long enough that he contemplated asking again in the bizarre case she hadn’t heard him. He could not leave here without getting an answer to his question. “In the event we try to make a change and still fail…” She must have found the answer she was looking for as surely as she found the strength to look him in the eyes again. “Then we will have to be content in the knowledge that we’ve done what we can.”

“And that’s supposed to be enough?” He couldn’t hide his disappointment.

“It has to be.” She looked as unsure as he felt; yet she still pressed on. “We’re only human. Sometimes trying is the only thing we can do.”

“I’m not sure that’s enough for me.” He felt like a coward for saying it out loud.

She was appraising him again. “I understand. It took me time before I was ready to face the world too. Until then, think hard about the world you want to see, and the kind of man you need to be to see it through.” She grabbed the bouquets and stood up to leave. This couldn’t be right. It had to be a mistake. There was no way somebody so driven and ambitious could think he was anything more than a lecherous flirt.

“Edelgard!” He called out. “You’ve got the wrong idea. I’m not somebody who can help change the world. I’m a lout. A scumbag. An utterly horrible person, through and through.” He looked down to avoid the disappointment surely in her eyes. “I’m not like you.”

“Sylvain.” She called to him gently. He swallowed a shaky breath and looked up. She wore a soft smile. Her eyes were again filled with empathy, but this time sadness was in there too. “I told you before, did I not? We’re not as different as you may think. Trust me when I say, however horrible you may believe that you are, the sins and blood that lay at my feet run much deeper.“

Eyes foggy with melancholy, Edelgard paused to take a breath and collect herself. When she looked up the clouds had vanished from her eyes, and had instead been replaced by a raging fire.

“But that is okay. However terrible we may be, so long as we are terrible for a purpose, then that will have to be enough. The doubts and self-loathing will just have to wait.”

And with that she was gone, leaving him only his thoughts for company. He stayed there for a while longer, thinking about everything and nothing. Finally he grabbed his book and made his way to his room. Once inside, he unlocked his drawer and retrieved what he was searching for. Carefully he removed the wrapping and the sheath, until in his hand he held the Lance of Ruin in all of its terrible glory. Holding the lance, he laid down on his bed. He thought about the kind of world he fantasized about when he was dying at the bottom a well. A world where brothers were free to love each other.

 _‘A purpose, huh?’_ He thought to himself as he held up the relic of his house.

The lance still writhed, but it was not so uncomfortable as it once was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I don't agree with her war on Faerghus policy, but I DO agree with her fuck crests policy." - Sylvain, probably


	3. Mercedes I

Mercedes distractedly adjusted her shawl across her shoulders as she looked down at her feet, walking to nowhere in particular. Grey storm clouds gathered in the air and a light drizzle of rain fell to the earth, washing over plants and animals and people in a cool, light shower. Not that it mattered to her, even if a monsoon of rain came plummeting down, Mercedes still likely wouldn’t have even noticed. It had only been one day since the Black Eagles class had clashed with the Death Knight in the underground chamber beneath the monastery, and that one day was all that it took for her to feel like her world had been turned upside down. She wasn’t there for the battle, but then she didn’t need to be. Everyone in the monastery knew by now that the Death Knight was actually Professor Jeritza. The same Professor Jeritza who reminded her so much of her baby brother that she had to stop herself from calling him Emile out of reflex.

She stopped in dull surprise once she registered the sound of her heels clacking against stone. Without even realising it, it appeared that she had made her way to the great stone bridge that led to the cathedral. She wasn’t too shocked to find that she had made her way here without thinking; the church had always been a place of guidance and comfort for her in trying times. With no other plan in mind, she continued to where the cathedral lay, hopeful that the Goddess might grant her some respite from the turbulent thoughts and feelings inside her.

Making her way through the large entrance, Mercedes did a double take at the shock of white hair visible in one of the pews near the front. There were only two students it could have belonged two, and both would be as surprising as the other to find in the cathedral. Curiosity won out over decorum in the end as she stepped closer.

“Edelgard?”

Whatever bought the imperial heir here must have left her deep in thought, as she looked up in surprise to see Mercedes standing next to her. “Oh, Mercedes. I didn’t even notice your approach.” She frowned, as if even a single moment of letting her guard down was a personal failure.

“Oh, don’t let that bother you. I might not look it, but I’m actually quite stealthy, you know.”

Edelgard looked very much like she wanted to raise a disbelieving eyebrow at that and was fighting to reign in the impulse. “Oh? I can’t say I would have expected that from you.

Mercedes giggled at that. “What can I say, it’s very handy for ghost stories and pranks.” Mercedes took in the girl sitting in front of her. Edelgard had a reputation among the rest of the student body. Even the students who had never said a word to her before believed her to be cool and composed at all times. She had heard Dimitri himself lament that his fellow house leader was unreadable and impossible to talk to. Looking at her now, Mercedes could see how some could come to that impression. Even now, Edelgard had a practiced air of authority and composure to beguile those who weren’t looking too closely. Yet Mercedes could perceive more than what Edelgard projected. Her withdrawn body posture, the sag of her shoulders, the guilt in her eyes. She thought about the fact that before today, she had never seen Edelgard in the cathedral.

“Do you mind if I sit with you?” Mercedes asked. “I find it helps to pray in company sometimes.”

Edelgard stared at her for a moment before nodding in acquiescence. “If you wish.”

Seating herself next to the Adrestian noble, Mercedes could not help but comment on the absence of a certain someone. “Where is Hubert? It’s strange to see you two apart.”

Edelgard scoffed as she gestured with her head behind them, to the left. Turning around, Mercedes found him. He was standing in front of the advice box, as still and scowling as a stone gargoyle. It seemed as if he was willing the box to burst into flames. Which, to be fair, was not a particularly notable achievement for a mage. Yet the intensity of his glare was so great it was as if he could do it through sheer mental will alone.

Mercedes had to wonder what someone like Hubert would have such an interest in the advice box. “Why is he staring at the advice box as if it’s going to explode?”

Edelgard snorted. “Because he’s being _ridiculous_.”

Mercedes saw it then; the only part of his body that moved was the trembling of his hand, which held… a small slip of paper? Mercedes snorted now too.

“He’s paralysed with indecision about the thought of putting a question in the advice box?”

Edelgard sighed in defeat, as if she had asked herself the same question many times. “Hubert tends to be a bit, well…”

“Paranoid?” Mercedes offered helpfully.

“ _Cautious_.” Edelgard corrected. “He is worried that others may break into the advice box and see what he has written.”

To think someone would go through the trouble for a prize so trivial. What an oddly silly worry for such a serious man. The again, Dorothea had told her that he had an innate sense of drama. Perhaps there was some truth to the matter after all. “I think he places too great an importance on the silly questions people often write about.”

“As I said, cautious. I wish he would hurry and just put his question in, Professor Byleth gives terrific advice.” Wait, what?

“Professor Byleth is the one responding to the advice box?” Mercedes asked. That didn’t sound right. Yes, Byleth was in the employ for the church, but she was still only a professor. Why would she be giving advice over a priest or a cardinal? She’d even seen other members of the church like Alois and Catherine put in suggestions. Was Byleth really in a position to answer their queries as well?

“That’s odd though, isn’t it?” She asked Edelgard. “For Professor Byleth to be the one responding to the advice box?”

Edelgard looked straight ahead as she answered. “Yes, well, who am I to question a decision made by the Church of Seiros?”

Mercedes hummed thoughtfully at that. True enough, it was not for her to question the will of the Goddess. “I’m honestly surprised to see you here Edelgard. I know you’re not the biggest fan of the church.”

Edelgard whipped her head around so fast Mercedes could have sworn she heard a crack. The light, joking air from when they were joking about Hubert had shattered in an instant as Edelgard’s posture became tense and defensive. “Excuse me? You believe me to be secular?”

Oh dear, she had overstepped her boundaries here. It wasn’t like she wanted to meddle in the affairs of her fellow students, but Edelgard just looked like she needed someone to talk to. “It’s okay, I won’t tell anyone. This is the first time I’ve ever seen you in the cathedral, and you looked so uncomfortable just being here.”

“If you must know, I normally give my prayers and my respects to the Goddess in my own room. I am uncomfortable here because I prefer to do so in privacy and solitude. It is not for any lack of faith.”

Mercedes lowered her head. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I did not mean to question your faith. It’s just… you looked sad, Edelgard.” She thought about what it might take to bring her here, and wondered if she was not the only one unmoored by the actions of the Death Knight. “Is this about the battle your class had to rescue Flayn?”

Edelgard glanced at her from the corner of her eye. “So you know about that.” It was a statement, not a question.

“The entire monastery does.” Mercedes answered solemnly. As always when she thought about the mysterious Professor Jeritza and his alter ego, her mind turned to thoughts of familiarity and nostalgia. She thought of her little brother who loved to listen to her stories and eat sweets with her. “To think that all this time Professor Jeritza was the Death Knight. Kidnapping Flayn, stabbing Professor Manuela… how could he do such horrible things?” Could the sweet little boy she knew really be capable of such heinous deeds?

Edelgard considered for a moment before answering. “I was not there for the confrontation with him, so I can’t tell you much regarding his motives and actions.” She answered solemnly. “But everyone has reasons for what they do, whether we know what those are or not.”

Mercedes nodded at that. “You’re right.” Whatever had happened to him over the years, surely he must have had reasons for what he did. She tried to grasp on to the hope that she might find out what they were one day.

Mercedes thought about why someone who had been absent from battle would find their way to the cathedral. “You know that you should not feel guilty about not being there for the battle with the Death Knight, right? I’ve heard that if it wasn’t for you Manuela could have bled out from her wound.”

Edelgard frowned at her. “Am I so obvious?”

“Not at all.” Mercedes assured her. “I just have a sense for these things.”

Edelgard turned her gaze up to the ceiling of the chapel. “This has been an incredibly tumultuous year, and yet we are only in the Wyvern Moon. I worry that things are falling out of my control, and as they do I fear for the safety of my classmates. Whatever the reason, the fact is that I was not there for them in a battle against a deadly opponent.”

A strong sense of responsibility for a teenage girl, regardless of their position. The students of the academy were all so young; it saddened Mercedes to see that so many of them felt as if they had to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. “Some things are beyond even your power, Edelgard. Whatever you may be one day, right now you’re only a student. Even you have limits.”

“Unacceptable.” Edelgard said with a conviction and determination that left Mercedes both aglow with respect and green with envy.

“Perhaps you just need to have more faith in your fellow classmates.” Mercedes said, frantically trying to quash the down this rising jealousy. She sounded so self-assured of her place and duty in the world, yet here Mercedes was, adrift and studying with peers who were practically children.

“If all problems could be solved by something as nebulous as faith, we would scarcely have any problems at all.” Edelgard replied scornfully. She turned her head, and Mercedes could instantly feel the full scrutiny of Edelgard’s analytical gaze. “No, I believe a more direct approach is required to solve our problems.”

“What do you mean?” She desperately tried to avoid the urge to squirm, as Edelgard placed her under the proverbial magnifying glass.

“I believe the professor has already had discussions about transferring to the Black Eagles house, correct?”

“Yes, although I at the time I was having too much fun in my current class to want to move.” She was immediately aware of how childish that felt to say to someone as dignified as Edelgard.

“Well, I too wish that you would give it some more thought. I believe that you would make a great addition to the Black Eagles.”

“Why? I’m hardly the most gifted mage.” Why would Edelgard want some mature age student like her, when she could go with someone you who had potential like Annie?

“You sell yourself short. Even in the mock battle, I could see that your healing abilities were incredibly effective. I’ve also seen how hard you work, not just with your studies and training, but even in helping the people around you.” Whatever internal analysis Edelgard had been thinking of must have concluded, as she nodded to herself. “Yes, I would personally feel much more assured knowing that the health and safety of my classmates would be in your capable hands.”

To receive this request in her time of turmoil, in a building dedicated to the Goddess… it had to be a sign, didn’t it? What else could it be?

“I will join you.” Mercedes said decisively.

Rather than the elation one would normally expect from someone who had her desires fulfilled so quickly, Edelgard showed only suspicion. Her narrowed eyes betrayed her experience as someone well aware that life was never that easy.

“So suddenly? Are you sure you don’t wish to think about this at all?”

“You need me.” Mercedes said, feeling the hesitation begin to creep back in. “What is there to think about?”

“What is there think about?” Edelgard parroted back to her. “Do you even want to transfer classes, Mercedes?”

Mercedes hesitated. She… she didn’t know. “The will of the Goddess-“

“If I wanted to divine the will of the Goddess, I’d ask Lady Rhea to join our class.” Edelgard interrupted coldly. “I’m asking what _you_ want.”

Again, Mercedes had no answer. “Do you even have any desires of you own,” Edelgard began, staring at her with contempt or pity or something equally horrible. “Or are you simply content to live your life at the whims of others?”

This wasn’t fair. It hadn’t mattered what she wanted when she was forced to flee Baron Bartel’s house after he finally produced an heir with a crest. Or when her stepfather decided it was finally time for her to marry and have crest-bearing children. How cruel, that it was only now that what she wanted seemed to matter.

Edelgard waited a moment for a reason that would never come before standing up. She was practically ablaze with dominance and power. For all that Edelgard might have been physically short, in that moment sitting before her Mercedes had never felt so small. “Forget it.” Edelgard said, staring down at her with words thick with some emotion that Mercedes couldn't or didn't want to identify. “Forget I said anything at all.” She turned towards the exit. “Hubert! We are leaving.”

With his face brimming with the determination one would expect from a soldier marching into battle, Hubert thrust his query in the advice box before immediately stepping into line behind Edelgard as she strode out of the cathedral. The carved through the rain outside as easily as a knife through butter, unbowed and unhurried.

She could have gone after them, perhaps. Give Edelgard a passionate speech about why she wanted to move. It couldn’t be that hard, could it? To figure out what she wanted?

As always, Mercedes bowed her head and prayed for guidance.

\---

Days passed, and the thoughts and confusion swirling around in her head continued to grow louder and louder. Normally whenever she felt like this, she would go to the church and pray. Except now every time she tried to go to the cathedral she would picture Edelgard towering over her as she sneered at her lack of conviction and the thoughts would grow louder still. So instead she threw herself into helping others and cooking in attempt to take her mind off things. She helped Annie study. She helped Dedue prevent Dimitri from trying to eat the weeds around the monastery. She freed Caspar’s head from where it had been stuck in a knothole while Linhardt sat by and watched unhelpfully. (Linhardt had begun to explain that they were conducting an experiment and that was just about all she needed to hear about that). It didn’t always help though. She had tried to help Felix a little too and that… that had not gone well. As such, she decided on cooking as her way to occupy her mind today. She made her way to the dining hall, where one of the kitchen staff greeted her enthusiastically. Apparently all of her cooking sessions with the kitchen staff and other students had given her a reputation. She allowed herself to take some pride in that. It felt good to be recognised for her talents.

While the church was her normally her favourite place to go when she was feeling low, the kitchen was a close second. Cooking was therapeutic, and it bought her back to simpler times. It was then she noticed a certain smell in the air, completely unlike the aroma of freshly cooked bread and vegetables that she had been expecting. Experienced in cooking as she was, she knew it immediately to be the smell of smoke that signalled a meal gone wrong. She quickened her pace to the kitchen and pushed open the doors to investigate.

Smoke immediately came billowing out, so Mercedes quickly removed her shawl to cover her mouth and avoid inhaling any. Mercedes felt her stomach drop at the sight of the figure kneeling down in front of the oven, yet she fought the urge to flee immediately. It wasn’t just any day that one found Edelgard of all people in the kitchen.

The woman in question had an angry, irritated flush on her face as she coughed from the now-receding smoke. Her eyes glared at the misshapen lump of charcoal in the pan held in her arms. Was it supposed to be bread, meat, fish? Mercedes could only guess, but whatever it was supposed to be looked more lethal than any weapon she’d ever seen.

“To think I have failed at such a simple task so utterly,” Edelgard muttered as her hands trembled. Mercedes first thought that it was out of anger, but listening to her speak, the small tremble in her voice, maybe it was something else? “What right do I have to lecture others when I can’t succeed at something so basic?”

‘ _You could leave her here._ ’ A small, vindictive part of her called out. ‘ _Leave her feeling upset and alone like she did to you in the cathedral._ ’

But because that was only a small part of her and not all of her, Mercedes was already walking over. “Edelgard?”

Edelgard whipped her head to the doorway. If Mercedes thought she looked upset about not noticing her in the cathedral, that had nothing on how upset she looked to see her now. She gaped for a moment before scrambling to stand up and regain her composure.

“Mercedes.” She said as if there was nothing amiss, like smoke wasn’t currently pouring out of the room, or she wasn’t holding what might as well have been a grotesque lump of coal in a pan. “I was just cooking.”

Mercedes nodded to her. “Yes, I noticed.” She directed her gaze to the attempt at cooking she held in her arms. Edelgard followed her gaze and flushed in embarrassment. She stormed to the tray labelled ‘Wyvern scraps’ and deposited the monstrosity (Those poor, poor, wyverns). She then made her way around the room, slamming open every window she could to expel the smoke. Once the last had been opened, with her back still turned to her, she addressed Mercedes again. “Did you need something? I’m quite busy, so whatever it is will have to wait for another time.”

Her head was slightly bowed, and the hands that grasped the now-open window still trembled as she prepared for whatever insult or barb she thought Mercedes was surely about to throw her way.

“Would you like some help?” Mercedes smiled at her. “I’m quite the cook, if you don’t mind my boasting.”

Only then did Edelgard turn to face her, the shock Mercedes honestly expecting carefully absent from her face. She looked to the side and bunched her shoulders, as if she wanted to refuse the offer out of principle. Then whatever internal battle she was fighting passed, and her shoulders dropped as she let out a heavy sigh. “If you don’t mind. I clearly need all the assistance I can get.”

“What was it you were trying to make?” Mercedes asked.

“I was trying to make a strawberry cake for someone.” Edelgard quietly admitted. She caught the surprise that Mercedes wasn’t quick enough to hide from her face and rolled her eyes, even as her face flushed. “Yes, yes, the heir to the Empire trying to bake for someone, quite the shock.” It was hardly a grand revelation, but Edelgard was clearly uncomfortable admitting even that much.

“Well, I think that’s sweet of you, Edelgard.” Mercedes did her best to assure the young woman. “Luckily for us, I have plenty of experience making cakes. Lets get started, shall we?”

To say Edelgard looked a little out of place as she moved to the kitchen would be an understatement. She looked around with trepidation, as if the cutlery and utensils were instead mighty weapons. “Edelgard, could you please break some eggs and pour them into a bowl for me?”

As Edelgard nodded and went to retrieve the requested items, Mercedes gathered up some flour and sugar. When she returned to the bench with her ingredients she found Edelgard with her axe raised above her head, eggs, lined up neatly in front of her. Mercedes tried blinking a few times. Nope, this was actually happening now.

“Edelgard,” Mercedes began slowly. “What are you doing?”

Edelgard looked at her as if she had just asked if water was wet. “I’m preparing to break the eggs.” She said, with the tone one would use when explaining to a toddler. Because Mercedes was clearly the foolish one here.

Mercedes nodded a few times. “Right, of course.” She hesitated. “I meant,” She began patiently. “Why do you look like you are about to use your axe to do so?”

“Because I… am?” Edelgard was finally beginning to look unsure now. “Surely it would be much more efficient to do it this way?”

 _‘Oh no’_ , Mercedes thought with mounting horror, _‘she was serious’_. She was beginning to see where Edelgard’s previous attempt had likely started to go wrong. “Well the thing is, we generally need to use utensils or our hands when cooking to achieve the specific measurements we need. Using, say, your battle axe to break the eggs will be a touch messier than we would prefer.”

Edelgard was beginning to blush a little from the realisation of something so obvious. Well, at least she was learning. Progress was still progress. “My apologies. I fear I lacked in cooking experience back in Enbarr, and I must appear quite foolish because of it.”

Mercedes smiled kindly at her. “Hey now, we all look foolish when trying something for the first time. Cooking is a skill like any other; it can be improved with practice. It’s impressive that you’re actually trying to learn at all. Here, try watching me to start with.”

She demonstrated cleanly cracking the eggs and pouring them into the bowl, then showed her how to measure the portions required of milk, flour, and sugar. Once all the ingredients had been placed into the bowl, she gave it and a wooden spoon to Edelgard. “Here you go, lets put those muscles to work. Beat the mixture until it’s light and fluffy.” She felt a twinge of nostalgia at Edelgard's blank expression as she doggedly followed her instructions, for a second it had reminded her of cooking with Emile. It was funny, recently thinking about her little brother would lead to sadness and regret. Now, remembering the good times they shared in the kitchen, all she could think was that she still wanted to see him again.

Edelgard looked into the bowl ash she did as instructed, slowly and methodically. “Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?”

“All of this. Helping me. Taking the time to show me how to cook. I don’t understand why you’re being so nice to me when I was so cruel back in the cathedral.”

Mercedes was silent as she gathered her thoughts. “You were a little cruel.” She agreed, not unkindly. “This is probably going to sound unsatisfying, but the truth of it is you looked sad, and I wanted to help.”

Edelgard blinked in surprise, her arms almost going slack before she remembered to keep going with her task as she looked up at Mercedes. “That’s it?”

“That’s it.” Mercedes confirmed. “Sorry to disappoint.”

“I’m not disappointed.” Edelgard rushed to reassure her. “It’s not as if I expect you to have some grand reason for wanting to help people, nor do you need one. Truthfully, if everyone were more like you Mercedes, I’d likely sleep a little easier at night.”

Mercedes ducked her head in attempt to hide her blush. “Oh there’s no need for that Edelgard. I’m just like to help people in need, there’s nothing special about it.” She looked up again and peered at Edelgard. Her face seemed lighter now, but she still seemed to carry a tension in her. “What was it that got you so upset, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Edelgard tensed further at the question. “Is my culinary failure not enough of a reason to be upset?”

Mercedes hesitated before answering. “I get upset about messing up meals too, but your reaction seemed like something more. I don’t mean to pry, but you seemed a bit hurt, honestly.”

Edelgard clucked her tongue in annoyance. “I’m starting to believe that you may be the most dangerous person here.”

Mercedes giggled at that. Her, dangerous? “Whatever do you mean?”

Edelgard evidently did not see the same humour in the situation as she frowned at her. “That you can read me so easily, coming to me about concerns and worries I haven’t even voiced… what would you call someone like that?”  
  
Mercedes thought about what such a description would sound like from someone who wasn’t raised with the expectation of becoming a ruler who must stand above all others. “A friend?”

“That _definitely_ sounds dangerous.”

“That sounds lonely.” Mercedes countered.

“Perhaps.” For a few moments, the only sound Mercedes could hear was the sound of the spoon beating the mix in the bowl before Edelgard spoke again. “It was nothing. It was foolish for me to overreact in such a way in the first place, it was just compounded by my failure here.”  
  
“Whatever it was seems like it hurt you quite a bit. I don’t think that’s nothing.” Mercedes said quietly.

Mercedes hoped she wasn’t pushing it. Edelgard was similar to Felix in that she was a private person, she could only hope that Edelgard would rebuff her in a gentler way than Felix did.

“I suppose,” Edelgard began, unaware of Mercedes’ silent shock. “I’ve really been trying to get Linhardt to try harder around the academy. I probably pushed him too far, but he has such a brilliant mind; it’s a shame to see it go to waste. He let me know that he didn’t appreciate my efforts.”

“What did he say?”

“He called me a nuisance. An annoying, interfering, overbearing mother, basically.” Her lip almost seemed to tremble for a moment before she pulled her mouth down into a scowl. “I don’t know why it even upset me so much. It’s not like I haven’t been called much worse, behind my back and to my face. It’s foolish, for the future emperor to react this way to something so trivial.”

Mercedes frowned. “It doesn’t matter what your station is, your feelings aren’t foolish.” She said in a surprisingly firm tone. “You put yourself out there to try and help someone, and that person didn’t care and threw it back in your face. There is nothing wrong with being upset about that.”

Edelgard’s face was still downcast, but her shoulders were relaxed, and the tension appeared to slowly be seeping out of her as she thought on Mercedes’ words. “You may be right.”

“I’m absolutely right.” Mercedes corrected. “It hurts when you try to help people only for them to lash out at you instead.”

Edelgard looked up at that. The scowl had relaxed into a frown as she looked at Mercedes. Perhaps she’d said a bit too much there, she hadn’t expected Edelgard to take such an interest. She didn’t know what to think about it.

“I think we’re done beating the mixture for now. Let’s move onto the next step.” Edelgard didn’t bring up what Mercedes said, and the atmosphere in the kitchen became much more relaxed and light hearted as they worked. Mercedes loved to cook, and she loved teaching to cook as well. Edelgard didn’t say much as Mercedes instructed her, but it was a relaxed and content silence that Mercedes took to mean Edelgard was having fun as well. Before she knew it, she was pulling the finished strawberry cake out of the oven.

“I can’t believe it turned out so well.” Edelgard looked at the cake with something approaching awe. “Thank you, Mercedes. I never would have been able to make something so delectable without your help.”

Mercedes giggle good-naturedly. “Nonsense. You just needed a guiding touch.”

Edelgard face turned solemn as she spoke again. “I am sorry for what I said to you at the cathedral, Mercedes. You were just trying to be helpful and kind and I used that as an excuse to vent my frustrations upon you.”

“You don’t need to fret over it so much, truly. People say things when they are angry that they don’t truly mean, it is something that I’m used to.” Still, it was nice to hear an apology. Perhaps now she would be able to enjoy going to the cathedral again instead of shying away from its presence.

“That doesn’t make my behaviour acceptable.” Edelgard insisted. “I’ve always been certain in my goals and ambitions, I forget that not everyone is the same way. You have plenty of time to figure out what you want.”

Mercedes gave her a timid smile. “Thank you.” She said earnestly. “Who is the cake for, anyway? Somebody special?”

“Quite special, yes, but not in the way you’re likely thinking of.” Edelgard said with a laugh. “Why you like to come with me to deliver it to her? It’s only fair that you receive just as much credit as I do.”

Mercedes followed Edelgard out of the kitchen and out of the dining hall. The skies were still slightly gray from overcast, but there was no threat of an oncoming rainstorm to dampen the relaxed mood around the monastery. Rather, she could see various students lounging about among the gardens as a pleasant breeze brew through, refreshing all that it touched. As they continued their trek Mercedes came to realize that Edelgard was leading them to the courtyard dormitories. Finally they came to a stop at a door as Edelgard knocked on it. They waited for a few moments, but it appeared that no answer was forthcoming.

“Maybe they’re not in?” Mercedes queried.

Edelgard shook her head in response. “No, she’s definitely here. Give it a few moments.” Eventually the sound of someone rustling about could be heard on the other side before the door clicked and opened a short distance. She could just make out one nervous eye and a few strands of purple hair.

“L-Lady Edelgard?” The voice squeaked nervously before the door wrenched open the rest of the way to reveal the mousey stature of Bernadetta von Varley. “Oh please, please don’t tell me there’s another urgent mission. Bernie couldn’t handle another one so soon.”

“Nothing of the sort. Actually, I’ve come to tell you how proud of you I am.” Edelgard said. She wore a kind smile and as she spoke softly to Bernadetta. “I know it can’t have been easy for you to come to class every day, or even to face down the Death Knight in my absence, yet you continue to do so anyway. The amount you’ve grown in such a short amount of time is truly commendable, and I wanted you to know that.”

Bernadetta gaped with eyes wide in shock as Edelgard openly praised her. “Th-thank you so much!”

“Not at all. As a matter of fact, I believe it calls for a reward.” She held up the cake in her arms. Bernadetta perked up excitedly as she noticed it for the first time.

“Really? You made a cake for Bernie? Thanks, Edelgard!” Her eyes widened again and she let out a gasp. “I-I mean Lady Edelgard! Lady Edelgard! I promise I’ll never do it again, I’m sorry, it just slipped! Please don’t tell Hubert I didn’t use your proper title! He’ll probably put poison in my cake when I’m not looking or smother my with my pillow in my sleep or throw Bernie off the top of the monastery-“

“Bernadetta.” Edelgard interrupted. She gave the cake to Mercedes to hold as she grasped Bernadetta’s hands in her own. “Remember the breathing exercises for when you get panicked? Come, do them with me now, in,” They both took a long inhale. “And out.” They both let out the air in a slow breath. They continued in a similar manner until Bernadetta was looking much more calm. “Better?”

“Better.” Bernadetta nodded. “You really made a cake for Bernie?” She asked bashfully.

Edelgard smiled again. “Of course. You’ve earned it. Truthfully, you should be thanking Mercedes. It was only her involvement that stopped my attempt at cooking from becoming a catastrophe.”

It took until then for Bernadetta to notice her standing next to Edelgard. Mercedes repressed a wince as Bernadetta averted her gaze and began to withdraw. No one had even been afraid of her before. She couldn’t say she liked it.

“Here you are, Bernadetta.” She slowly extended the cake, allowing the shy girl to grab it for herself. “It sounds like you earned it."

“What are your plans for the rest of the day?” Edelgard queried.

“Ah well, it’s been so scary and overwhelming lately, I was kinda hoping to spend today inside.”

Edelgard nodded. “Understandable. I’ll make sure to grab you something from the dining hall later so that you don’t have to worry about avoiding people.”

Bernadetta’s eyes shone with relief. “Thank you, Edelgard.” She hesitated for a moment before turning to Mercedes. “Th-Thank you, Mercedes.” With that, she closed the door, retreating back into the sanctuary of her room.

Mercedes smiled slyly as she looked over at Edelgard. “Who knew that behind those harsh words and severe glances was a total softie?”

Edelgard chuckled as she shook her head. “Try not to spread it around. I do have a reputation to maintain.”

“Still, that was very sweet of you to do that for Bernadetta. I didn’t take you for a mother hen.”  
  
“Dorothea and I tend to take it in turns.” Edelgard frowned. “Linhardt was right as usual, I suppose.”  
  
“He’s right that you might mother over your friends, but he’s wrong to act like that’s a bad thing.” Mercedes insisted. “There’s nothing wrong with looking out for your friends and wanting the best for them, even if they don’t appreciate it.”

Edelgard was studying her again, but it seemed much less harsh and analytical this time. If anything it felt more sympathetic. “Did something happen, Mercedes? I only ask as you seem quite… invested, about this.”

She wasn’t surprised that Edelgard had picked up that this was an issue that bothered her too, she seemed very observant hat way. Still, was it really something she should make a fuss about? As she continued to hesitate, Edelgard tried to walk back her inquiry.

“I apologize if I’m being intrusive, don’t feel like you have to talk if you don’t want to. But you helped me feel better today by hearing me out, and I’d like to return the favour, if you wish.”

“Oh no, I appreciate you asking. That’s actually very kind of you. It was just something Felix said to me the other day.”

“Did he say something rude?”  
  
“Well, yes, but that’s just Felix. He’s brusque with everyone. Honestly, I’m probably just overreacting.”

“You know, someone very wise told me recently that feelings matter, and that you shouldn’t brush off things that hurt you as unimportant.”

“Sounds like a wise woman indeed. You should really try and listen to her.” Mercedes giggled. Her smile gained a tint of melancholy as she recalled her conversation with Felix. ”It was my fault. I went too far trying to be helpful and do things for him and ended being far too pushy and just bothered him instead. I tried to explain myself. I told him that he reminded me of my little brother, who I haven’t seen in years.”

Edelgard narrowed her eyes. “And did he ask you to stop calmly and politely, like a normal person?”

“He said that he wasn’t my little brother and that I should find someone else to bother.” Her fists shook as she remembered. “I’m such a fool, I should have known better than to annoy him like that, but he really does remind me of Emile.” She looked down, still able to recall the dressing down vividly and wishing the floor would just swallow her whole. “I just wanted to do something nice for him.” She said to herself quietly.

“Mercedes, don’t you dare let him make you think that you are to blame. If he wished for you to stop he could have easily done so without being cruel. Why that arrogant, little- how did he even apologise for that, anyway?”  
  
Mercedes laughed again, but there was no humour in it this time. “I’m afraid you don’t quite know Felix as well as I do. He doesn’t really _do_ apologies."

Edelgard’s eyes narrowed dangerously at that. “Follow me.” Edelgard’s hand found Mercedes’. Her grip was firm, but not painful, and with a tug of her arm Mercedes found herself once again following Edelgard.

“Edelgard, where are we going?”

“To find Felix. I don’t care how stubborn he is, he _will_ apologise.”

“Edelgard, please, you don’t have to do this.” She was starting to panic a little bit, she wasn’t used to anyone making such a fuss over her. “It’s really not that big a deal. It did hurt, but I’ll get over it.”

“Your feelings are absolutely a big deal, and I refuse to let you think otherwise.”

“Not to the point that you have to go through so much trouble for me.”

“Mercedes, you are always running yourself ragged trying to look after everyone. But who is looking out for you?” Mercedes had no answer for that one. It was true that she was always so worried about everyone else; she never really had the time to worry about herself. “You’re the kindest, gentlest person here. Nobody should feel entitled to take advantage of your nature and hurt you because of it. Not Felix, not I, not anyone. My own apology is hardly enough to make up for my transgression, the least I can do is make sure that Felix does as well.”

“But you don’t even know where he is right now.” Mercedes tried in one last attempt to get Edelgard to stop. She knew it wouldn’t work though. With how determined Edelgard seemed right now, the Goddess herself likely couldn’t stop her. Edelgard confirmed as much when she simply smiled back dangerously at her.

“I may not know Felix as well as you do, but even I know that we’re likely to find him in the training hall.” Again, she wasn’t wrong. The day Felix found a hobby outside of swinging a sword around would be the day she grew wings and flew to Morfis.

In no time at all they found themselves at the training hall and, lo and behold, there was the man himself, soundly trouncing Sylvain on the other side of the hall in what appeared to be a very one-sided practice duel. She could also see Hubert and Dorothea, practicing the range and effect of their spells against a couple of long-range targets. She could see a pile of scorched and blackened kindling on the ground near the targets, speaking to the skills of the two mages. Upon noticing them in the arena, Hubert immediately drew to attention and hurried over.

“My Lady, do you need somet-“

Holding up a hand to silence her vessel, Edelgard’s eyes never left her target. She marched up to the two Faerghus nobles, leaving Mercedes, Hubert, and Dorothea in her wake. Hubert stormed over to Mercedes as he tried to work out what was going on.

“Mercedes,” He straightened his posture to his full height as he loomed over her. “What does Lady Edelgard wish for from the Fraldarius boy?”

“Yeah, she looks like she wants to put his head on a pike.” Dorothea added as she ventured over. “Not that I particularly blame her.”

Mercedes watch in fascination as Edelgard started talking to Felix. If she were talking to anyone else, then by immediate redness of his face and the agitation in his body language, Mercedes would have thought she opened the conversation by being incredibly offensive. Since this was Felix, however, that may not have necessarily been the case. She’d once seen him explode at Dimitri for daring to say ‘good morning’ to him. “I think she’s defending my honour.”

Dorothea threw back her head in a laugh. “Oh yes, that sounds like Edie all right. Such a dramatic, romantic gesture… I don’t care what she says, that girl was made for the opera.”

The three of them watched Edelgard and Felix speak and gesture for a few moments. Although they couldn’t quite make out the words, the tension and aggression were both quite clear. Before anyone could think to intervene Edelgard was pulling a wooden axe of the training rack. The two of them walked up into each others faces as Sylvain hurriedly scrambled to clear the immediate area. Felix’s lip curled as he looked down at her, while Edelgard’s back was ramrod straight as she glared up back at him. Their glares were more cutting than the training weapons they wielded would ever be.

“This is escalating rather quickly, isn’t it?” Mercedes said with worry as the soon-to-be combatants both turned around and paced a few steps back to give themselves room.

Dark miasma crackled on Hubert’s hands as he prepared to step in before Dorothea linked her arm in his. “Oh please Hubie, like Edie needs your help for this.” Mercedes found her own arm ensnared by Dorothea’s next. “What do you think, Mercie? Edie’s doing this for you, isn’t she? The least we can do is watch her trounce Felix.” Without waiting for a response from either of them, Dorothea marched their little group over to where Sylvain was standing, close to the duel.

“What’s happening, Sylvain?” Mercedes asked the young man standing beside her. He seemed much more at ease now that he was clear of the immediate vicinity, as he stretched both his arms behind his head.

“Well Edelgard stormed over here demanding that there was someone that Felix owed an apology. Felix being… well, Felix, he didn’t take that particularly well. Said that anyone too weak to ask for an apology themselves didn’t deserve one.”

Mercedes winced as Dorothea scoffed. “How predictable.”

“You’re telling me. Basically Edelgard asked him to apologise to someone, Felix decided to be a dick instead, and now this is apparently happening.” Sylvain shrugged, gesturing to the two in question, sizing each other up, waiting for someone to strike first.

“Who do you think wins?” Mercedes asked, her voice tinged with worry. She hoped Edelgard wouldn’t get hurt, not after all the trouble she was going through for her.

“Felix, for sure.” Sylvain answered. “Edelgard’s strong, but Felix practically _lives_ for this.”

“Oh, please. Edie’s got him covered.” Dorothea countered decisively. She looked to Hubert for confirmation. “Right, Hubie?”

“Rest assured, if I thought Fraldarius was a serious risk to Lay Edelgard’s health, he wouldn’t even have time to raise his sword before I… ‘Intervened’.”

“See?” Dorothea said breezily as Sylvain and Mercedes looked at Hubert in horror. “She’s got this.”

The sound of someone kicking off against the ground returned Mercedes’ attention back to the impromptu duel. Felix had clearly decided he was done waiting around. With blinding speed he was up in Edelgard’s face. Whatever his faults, Felix was an incredible swordsman, and well-versed in the weapons natural advantage over the axe. His hits were quick, precise, and overwhelming. The axe, in contrast, was much more unwieldy and needed to be used from a further distance than the sword did to be effective. It meant that Edelgard had no real opportunity to launch counter strikes if her own, and had to settle for parrying and batting away Felix’s attacks. Not that it made her any less dangerous. She saw Felix grit his teeth as Edelgard parried his blows, the force and reverberation of it echoing through the floor and down to her bones. Almost any other student would have already dropped their weapon in pain, but Felix was far too stubborn for that.

But there was only so many times you could block an attack when your opponent had such an advantage in speed and weapon type. Felix’s next two strikes hit their marks. One to her left arm, the other to her left rib. Edelgard grunted as the second one landed. It didn’t seem especially painful, but it was still enough for Mercedes to raise her hand to her mouth in worry. Felix, meanwhile, took the chance to move back a few steps. He continued to bounce lightly on the balls of his feet in case of an attack from Edelgard, but his breaths were slightly ragged as he took the opportunity to recover his stamina.

“Slowing down already, Edelgard?” He sneered. They were closer to the combatants now, which made it much easier to overhear the inevitable trash-talk. “After the big game you were talking, I’m disappointed to see this is how you back it up.”

“You think your mosquito bite strikes strong enough to hurt me?” Edelgard maintained an air of strength as she stared down her opponent. “What’s the point of speed if you don’t have enough power to actually hurt your enemy?”

Felix’s face grew an ugly shade of red as he charged in again. However it was much less precise than his earlier charge. His approach was closer, too close, and he drew back his weapon too far in an attempt to increase the power of his next blow. It left him defenceless as Edelgard buried her fist into his gut with an uppercut. As his eyes bulged comically, Edelgard was quick to drop her weapon and grab Felix in a headlock. As Edelgard restrained him, one arm wrapped tight around his neck, the other around his hand holding the sword, and her leg crossed over his leg closest to her in order to block any attempts to escape, Mercedes could certainly admit this was not quite how she had expected this duel to go.

Hubert clucked his tongue. “It seems I owe the Professor an apology. It appears that it wasn’t a waste of time for Lady Edelgard to learn grappling after all.”

“I think Edie’s been wanting to try that move since she saw Petra do it to Ferdie last week.” Dorothea added, watching Felix’s futile attempts to escape Edelgard’s chokehold. Whatever advantage he had in speed, he was far outclassed when it came to strength.

“Honestly, you Blue Lions, so shocked when fights don’t play out like a traditional duel. This is real life, not a ballad.” Edelgard chided as she maintained her hold. “Are you finally ready to apologise?”

“Who am I even supposed to be apologising to?!” Felix gritted out as he continued to struggle.

“Someone you’ve offended very recently? Come now Felix, it can’t possibly be that hard for you to figure it out.”

“Dimitri?” Felix asked, as his face grew red from exertion. “Sylvain?”

“No, Felix, a _woman_ you’ve offended recently.”

“Dorothea?”

“No.”

“Ingrid?”

“ _No!_ ”

“Then I don’t know who you’re talking about!” Felix choked out.

“ _Then perish_.”

He continued to struggle in vain for a few moments before he looked up and saw Mercedes. Understanding crossed his face as his eyes met hers. Gritting his teeth and screwing up his pride, Felix began to tap Edelgard on the shoulder.

“I yield. I _yield_.” Felix spat out through his grit teeth.

“Excellent.” With that she let relinquished her grip. While Felix stumbled back and hunched over, gulping down mouthfuls of air, Edelgard picked up her wooden axe and placed it back on the training rack. “I take it you finally realised who you’ve hurt with your thoughtless words?”

“Yeah.” After his breathing had finally returned to normal, he straightened up and walked over to Mercedes. “Mercedes,” He paused, then inclined his head as he looked her in the eyes. “Sorry for what I said about your brother.”

He didn’t say anything else, he didn’t make any grand gestures or dress it up in effusive words the way other nobles might have, but he didn’t need to. The fact that he said it at all was enough, Felix never said anything that he didn’t mean. She was touched, both by the fact that Felix even said it, and the effort that Edelgard went through to draw it out of him in the first place.

“Felix…” She didn’t know what to say, but she knew that she couldn’t pretend that this didn’t matter to her. She resolved to just say what she was feeling. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

Felix nodded to her, then turned back to Edelgard with a glare. “I’m going to keep training. I’ll get stronger. Next time we fight, I will win.”

“Whether you train for one hour or one thousand, the result will not change.” Edelgard said with complete conviction. “Good day, Felix.”

“With a muttered “Hmmph”, Felix strode out of the training hall. After he left, Sylvain turned to Edelgard in complete excitement. The grin he wore was so wide it threatened to split his face in two. “You really are something else, Edelgard. I can’t believe you got _Felix_ to say sorry! Do you even know what a feat that is?”

Edelgard merely shrugged. “It was no less than what Mercedes deserved.” The simple, matter of fact way that she said it was enough to make Mercedes’ heart swell.

“That’s never been enough for him to do it before. Man, I gotta catch up with him while he’s still in a remorseful mood. Maybe I can get him to apologise to Ingrid as well so they both stop sniping at each other.” He ran to follow his friend out of the hall, turning to wave back at their group as he left.

“I don’t think I can thank you enough, Edelgard.” Mercedes said bashfully. “I don’t think anyone’s ever looked out for me like that before.”  
  
“Yeah, Edie! How come you never go that far to defend my honour?” Dorothea pouted good-naturedly.

Edelgard chuckled at her friend. “I thought you could take care of yourself, Dorothea? I promise, if I see any louts treating you poorly, then I will stand up for you as well.”

“Honestly Edelgard, given that you practically beat up Felix for me, I feel like I should do something to return the favour.” Mercedes giggled as a though occurred to her. “Maybe I could punch Linhardt in the face for you?”

Edelgard shook her head. “I don’t want Linhardt to be punched in the face.” She frowned at her choice of words. “I don’t want _you_ to be the one to punch Linhardt in the face.” She amended.

“ _I_ would be more than happy to punch Linhardt in the face for you, Lady Edelgard.” Hubert interjected.

“No, you’re not doing it either.”

“Ferdinand, perhaps?” Hubert tried again hopefully.

“Ooh, I’d be happy to do that one!” Dorothea chimed in.

“Nobody is punching anyone in the face!” Edelgard ordered, frustration evident in her tone.

Mercedes giggled again as Hubert and Dorothea frowned in disappointment. “I haven’t changed my decision, by the way.”

“Your decision?” Edelgard queried.

“About joining the Black Eagles.” Dorothea and Hubert shared a look over Edelgard’s head that Mercedes couldn’t interpret, but Edelgard’s attention was focused solely on her. “I’m going to find the professor and tell her I accept her offer.”

“You’ve thought about this.” Edelgard said with a smile. “Have you found something you want?”

“A few things, actually.” She thought of running into Professor Jeritza on the battlefield. It wasn’t something she was willing to share quite yet. “For starters, I just think it’s nice knowing that I’ll have a classmate who is looking after me for once.” She averted her gaze from Edelgard as she looked down, feeling self-conscious. “I’m sure that sounds very selfish of me.”

Edelgard hesitated a bit before responding. “It’s a little selfish, yes.” When Mercedes chanced a look she saw that Edelgard was beaming at her. “Then on behalf of the Black Eagles, let me to be the first to say welcome aboard.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Felix: You might remember my cutting words and hurtful remarks. But for me, it was Tuesday.
> 
> Not quite as happy with this chapter as I was with the last one, but you can only agonize over it for so long before moving on.


	4. Marianne I

It was silent in the stable, save for the sound of the currycomb that Marianne von Edmund was sweeping across Dorte’s flank. Her trusty companion’s ears flicked as she continued to pry loose the dirt and detritus accumulated in his coat.

She was supposed to be cleaning the stables with Hilda, but she’d had to leave before their shift started. Not that it bothered Marianne; the stable was one of the few places in the Monastery where she felt truly comfortable. It was the only place where she could truly talk to her best friend Dorte without worrying about being under the prying eyes of others. Marianne’s burdens were so overwhelming that she couldn’t bear to bother other people with them, but with Dorte she never had to worry. Dorte never responded to her problems by telling her to just cheer up. He never asked why the bags under her eyes were so dark, and then lectured her for not sleeping more, as if it were so simple. Just as he could trust her to understand when he was hungry or restless, she could trust him to understand when something had been bothering her. Case in point, just as she’d finished her task of brushing him, he began to whinny as he laboriously turned around and nudged his head against her hands.

“You’re just a big worry wart, aren’t you?” Marianne laughed as she pet her hands through his mane. “I’m alright, Dorte. Just feeling a little low today I suppose, no reason for it.” She closed her eyes as she leaned her temple across from his. “You don’t have to worry about me.” She began to laugh again as Dorte whinnied and began to lick her face. “I understand. I’m always worrying about you too. I promise I would tell you if something was wrong.” She sighed as she pulled away. “It’s just the same old problems. I’ve learned how to bear them by now.” Her job done grooming Dorte, she readied herself to clean the rest of the stables. As she prepared to go about her duties, she was able to make out a bit of a commotion going on outside. She shrunk into herself as she could make out voices. The reason she loved coming here was the solitude, with the exception of the animals housed within. If there were others about, they might make a scene upon seeing her talk to Dorte. Gathering her courage, she made her way outside to see what was happening.

The first thing she noticed as she quietly stepped outside was a looming, dark, brooding visage, all the more for the clear contrast it created with the clear, bright day they were experiencing. To the right of said visage was a much smaller figure with beautifully cascading, bone-white hair. Edelgard von Hresvelg, the princess of Adrestia and her retainer, Hubert von Vestra. This wasn’t too surprising, as one could scarcely ever see Edelgard without her trusted retainer being in the immediate vicinity, hunched together discussing matters of state and politics. Or at least, that was what she assumed. Leonie had once asked Hilda what house leaders normally discussed with their retainers and had been very disappointed with the answer. Personally, Marianne had a hard time imagining Edelgard and Hubert would discuss which eyeliner would suit Hubert better, or who the hottest professor was. They were slightly too intimidating for such imaginings.

To Hubert’s left was another figure roughly the same size as Edelgard, with a mane of purple hair tied into a long braid. Petra Macneary, the princess of Brigid. Again, this was also hardly surprising. Brigid was a vassal state to the Empire, and as its heir, Petra could frequently be found engaged in confidential discussions with Edelgard and Hubert. Garreg Mach was highly influential, and Marianne was hardly the only student there with burdens to shoulder.

No, seeing three of them together was not a shock. What was surprising was seeing them not only gathered near the stables, but staring down a pegasus that had been tied down, and was beginning to trot about irritably.

If anything, Marianne thought they seemed almost apprehensive, although she had no idea why. Edelgard and Petra had already gotten their certifications for wyvern riding and never appeared worried when dealing with them. While Hubert… well thinking on it, she’d never seen Hubert around wyverns or pegasi. But still, this was _Hubert_. She’d once seen him startle Sir Alois so badly he’d tripped down the stairs in fright. What did the self-professed ‘scariest man in Garreg Mach’ have to be apprehensive about?

Well, there was no way she could say anything now. She doubted she would have been able to say ask anyone else to leave either, but the three in front of her now? She would never have the resolve to talk to them. No, it was far better for them to now have to be interrupted or bothered by the likes of her anyway. Clearly the only reasonable course of action was to continue her duties in a state of quiet apprehension and constant tension until they left. As she prepared to creep back into the stables, the three eagles resumed their conversation.

“Come now, Hubert. This does not need to be as large a dilemma as you are making this out to be. Just assert your dominance as its alpha and master. So long as it knows not to cross you, the beast will heed what you say.” Edelgard stated. Petra began to nod her head enthusiastically.

“I am agreement with Edelgard. Step forward, look the beast straight in the eyes, and do not be taking no for an answer! You must be showing it who is the employer. It is just how we would train a wyvern.”

“I believe you mean ‘show it who’s boss’.” Hubert corrected. His lips tightened unpleasantly as he thought on their words. “Very well then, I shall defer to your judgement. It seems sound enough advice at least.”

The confidence and decisiveness in his voice was a bit of a shock, considering that the advice he just received was _not sound at all_ , not in the slightest. If that advice were a bridge, she wouldn’t trust a leaf to land on it without collapsing it all together.

Hubert stared down the pegasus before taking a few slow, tentative steps forward. At his approach, the majestic creature stopped it’s frantic pacing as it turned to look at him. Marianne held her breath as she watched. Surely they had to know wyvern-taming and Pegasus-taming were two very different endeavours? Or that only women were able to safely handle pegasi? They were widely known to be distrustful of men. So why was Hubert doing something as dangerous as approaching one on his own, looking like he would gladly choke it with it’s own intestines? She began to squirm as she looked down. Should she say something? But, no, that was ridiculous to think. As if anyone as important as the three people before her needed her help or her opinion. She would only be getting in the way. They must know what they’re doing.

When she looked up again Hubert was stepping forward, while the pegasus began to flare its nostrils. The malevolent aura surrounding him as he continued his march was almost palpable, and based on its increasing agitation, the pegasus could clearly feel it as well. He raised his arms as he continued to walk, hand outstretched menacingly to the face of the pegasus. There were even tiny sparks of miasma flickering from his hands, causing small sizzles as they hit the ground.

As he got close enough the pegasus let out a loud neigh and reared back before stomping down and striking Hubert with one of its wings. Hubert let out a grunt of pain as he was sent tumbling backwards.

“Hubert!” Petra and Edelgard cried out as they rushed to where he lay. The two of them carefully laid Hubert’s head onto Edelgard’s lap as he grumbled. Marianne could see a thin line of blood on his forehead. Before she even realised what she was doing, she found herself raising her hands as she cast a heal spell. As the trickle of blood quickly disappeared, the three Black Eagles students finally noticed her presence.

“ _A_ _spy_.” Hubert snarled as he immediately removed himself from Edelgard’s lap in his haste to stand up. “Just how long have you been observing us?”

“Calm yourself, Hubert.” Edelgard said as she and Petra also rose to standing positions. “It’s quite fortuitous that she was here at all.” Her eyes trailed to where Marianne stood. She could only look at her eyes for a moment before she lowered her head, unable to stand the intensity of Edelgard’s gaze. “Though I must admit, I too am curious about why you are here.”

Marianne tried to think of a way to remove herself from the conversation without offending the imperial princess. Claude never took offense to her rebuffing his attempts at conversation, but then Claude was quite laid back and atypical compared to most. She had no idea if Edelgard would allow her the same courtesy. Hubert certainly seemed like he wouldn’t. She sighed again as she stepped forward.

“I was doing stable duty when I heard noises from outside. I didn’t think anyone would be out here, so I came to check.” Marianne said quietly. Most people always demanded for her to speak up, but there was no indication that any of her audience hadn’t heard her. She supposed princesses and retainers had to be careful to hear everything, from whispers in court to knives gathering in the dark.

“You are doing the cleaning on your own?” Petra asked. “I thought we were to be cleaning together, not cleaning single.”

“I was supposed to be doing it with Hilda, but she was feeling ill.”

“Oh yes, she seemed very ill when I saw her flirting with Sylvain earlier.” Hubert snorted. “Typical Goneril. I don’t even understand what she’s doing here. Her being at this academy is a waste of time.”

Marianne tried to muster some sort of defence as she felt a small spark of indignation for her friend, but found her voice had abandoned her. As it tended to do whenever she needed to say something.

“Oh, I don’t know about that. I think she’s much more dangerous than she lets on.” Edelgard responded. “Did you see her win in the last axe tourney? She may very well be better than I am.” Marianne hadn’t expected Edelgard to be the one to defend Hilda. Had she and Hilda ever even spoken to each other before?

Hubert looked aghast at the very notion. “Inconceivable.”

“Heh, you think so?” Edelgard chuckled. “At any rate, it won’t be up for debate much longer if she refuses to train or work.”

“What,” Marianne began as the three immediately trained their attention to her again. Marianne cringed a little under the attention. She had spoken without thinking, and now had to commit to asking. “What were you three doing here?”

Hubert and Edelgard traded a look. All she could tell was that Hubert had a tinge of apprehension that was gone in an instant as he looked into Edelgard’s eyes. The two could clearly understand each other intimately without even saying a word. Oh how Marianne wished she could do the same. She would give anything to be understood without actually having to speak. She’d never have to suffer through an uncomfortable conversation again.

“Hubert and I wished to test a theory. We have had discussions about roles that may be expected of us in the future, and both of us agreed that based on the duties expected of Hubert’s position, it would be advantageous for him to learn how to fly a pegasus.” Edelgard explained.

“You and Petra came here to teach Hubert to fly a pegasus?”

Hubert frowned. “No, Edelgard came here to teach me to fly a pegasus.” If looks could kill, then the glare Hubert aimed at Petra would have her six feet under. Marianne recoiled from it, and she hadn’t even been the recipient. “Petra followed us.”

Petra was completely unruffled as she smiled brightly. “I am being an excellent sneak!” She boasted. Hubert began muttering under his breath about how out of it he must have been not to notice.

Marianne frowned as she took this in. There were two problems she could see with this, yet she couldn’t just be so rude as to say that. It wasn’t her place.

“You look as if you have some more questions, Marianne.” Edelgard gave her a patient smile. “You can ask whatever you wish, it’s quite alright.”

She certainly didn’t feel alright questioning two future rulers, but she could hardly back down now without making a scene. “Couldn’t you just teach Hubert to ride a wyvern? Why does it need to be a Pegasus?” Marianne asked.

“Wyverns are in larger demand in the empire due from both male and female soldiers.” Hubert hastily responded. “This has resulted in a smaller supply, so it is more efficient to learn how to ride a Pegasus instead.”

Hubret’s rush to answer her was a little odd, but she supposed the reasoning made sense. Both men and women could ride wyverns, so it made sense that there would be a much larger demand for them in Adrestia. Still, this led to the other, more important reason.

“But I thought only women could ride a pegasus? How are you going to be able to teach Hubert to do so?”

“Funny you ask, actually.” Edelgard said with a confident smile. “Petra was just telling us earlier today that pegasi in Brigid and Dagda can be ridden by anyone. Man or woman.”

“Edelgard has the rightness of this.” Petra confirmed. “Pegasus born in Brigid can be ride by- apologies, _ridden_ by men and women both. It is being the same for Dagda as well.” There was a clear joy in her voice as she explained further. Maybe she didn’t normally get the chance to talk about Brigid like this? “Actually, legends speak that the first one to ever be riding a pegasus was a man. They called him Kavanagh, he of much might and passion!”

Marianne let out a soft gasp at this. “The first ever pegasus rider was actually a man?”

“Interesting indeed.” Hubert had a sardonic grin as Petra told her story. “They certainly never taught us this. Not in the Empire or in Garreg Mach.”

Petra’s earlier excitement carefully schooled into something much more guarded detached at the reminder of how diplomatic she always needed to be with her words in a distant land surrounded by distant people. “When it comes to other countries and histories, Fodlan can be very…” She hesitated as she tried to think of what was appropriate to say, always aware of the need to be placating and uncontroversial.

Edelgard, who as a princess of the biggest and most influential land in the country in question, had slightly more scope to be inflammatory and controversial if she so pleased. “Insular?”

Petra bit her lower lip as she considered the word and her present company before acquiescing. “Yes, it is as you speak. Fodlan is very insular about what it teaches of other countries.”

“Typical.” Edelgard said with a roll of her eyes as Marianne looked away in discomfort. It was odd to see someone so blunt and condescending of Fodlan. In her experience most of the nobility tended to dress up their statements with pretty words and confusing phrases to the point they might as well have been speaking another language. Even Claude used a much more laid-back joking and joking manner when he spoke of such matters, even though his eyes were often so severe they looked like they could cut diamonds. “Please tell us more about this Kavanagh, Petra.” Edelgard continued on, heedless of Marianne’s inner dialogue. “He sounds quite interesting.” She was grateful that Edelgard asked the question, she had wanted to know more as well but would have never felt comfortable asking that to Petra herself when she didn’t know her at all.

“The legend goes that after many glorious battles and songs, Kavanagh tried to sell his trusty, beloved horse. Yet the horse was being much too old. ‘It can’t be doing any work’, the people were saying! No matter what he tried, no one was interested in buying horse of Kavanagh. But Kavanagh did not mind, for he knew the joy to take his horse and travel where they were wanting to lands unknown. They say as he pulled himself onto his horse for the final time, he was growing wings, as they travelled to wherever they could be imagining.” Petra told the story well, with the enthusiasm returning to her voice with ever word.

“That’s a lovely story.” Marianne said breathlessly. Petra beamed at her words, causing Marianna to redden slightly. “I’m not used to legends and myths that aren’t about loss and tragedy.” It felt like most Fodlan legends in contrast were written in blood.

“It is great shame that people are thinking that happy stories are not also just as beautiful.” Petra agreed.

“This Kavanagh, is he the same… poeta koe, you’ve told us about?” Edelgard’s brow furrowed as she inquired.

Petra smiled patiently in response. “Poeta _koa_ , your highness. And yes, he is the one I have spoken to you of previously.”

Marianne looked between the two of them in bewilderment. “Umm, what’s a po-poeta koa?” Maybe she was starting to get used to their presence a little now, as this time she was able to not flinch when they turned to look at her again.

“It’s Brigidian for ‘warrior poet’.” Edelgard explained.

“You speak Brigidian, Lady Edelgard?” To think someone with as many responsibilities as Lady Edelgard had somehow found the time to take up learning another language.

“I’m learning, at the very least. Petra’s made such an effort to learn our language, it seems only right for us to try and learn hers as well. Besides, when I become emperor I will have many more dealings with Brigid. A greater understanding of the country and its language can only be beneficial.”

“Yes, Lady Edelgard is being an excellent student!” Petra cheered. “Almost as excellent as Hubert.”

“You speak Brigidian as well, Hubert?”

“He’s fluent.” Edelgard grumbled. Hubert smiled sinisterly beside her.

“I’m still not sure I understand.” Marianne said. “If pegasi in Brigid and Dagda can be ridden by men, why are the ones in Fodlan only able to be ridden by women?”

“Well, given what we have heard about Brigid and Dagda, this doesn’t appear to be a problem with pegasi, but a problem with Fodlan. Somewhere along the way, pegasi in Fodlan were all raised and trained to be comfortable only around women. This practice then became institutionalised and continued to this day, to the point that the idea of a man ever riding a Pegasus is considered ludicrous.” Edelgard said, in such a matter-of-fact tone that the ensuing questions and dilemma’s now burrowing in her head made Marianne feel a bit foolish.

“But what would be the point in doing something like that?”

“The same reason behind most of our political structures and institutions. To maintain the status quo and create a clear divide in the gendered roles expected of men and women. Anything that doesn’t fit into our current structures is seen as unnatural. The less options people have in life, the less scope they feel they have to be different, or fight that very status quo.“

Marianne frowned as she listened. She was well aware of the expectations of gender roles. What noblewoman wasn’t? Yet at the same time…

“But who would be responsible for something like this?” She asked. “Who would make the decision for animals to be raised and bred this way?” She’d always loved animals, and was far more comfortable around them than she was with people. To think that they could be conditioned through generations to forget their nature was cruel.

“Who indeed. Whoever they were, I imagine they had a vested interest in maintaining the current order.” Her gaze found Marianne and she seemed to catch herself. “Ah, learning about history and other cultures is just fascinating, is it not?” Even if she had wanted to respond, Edelgard left no time for her to do so. Even in matters like this, the house leader would not waste any time on idling. “Actually, it is quite fortuitous that you are here, Marianne. I have heard tell that you possess the gift of communicating with animals.”

Marianne wrung her hands nervously, the idea of others speaking of her causing her insides to churn uncomfortably. She hated speaking about herself, and the thought of others speaking about her was just as bad. “Who told you that?”

“Some of your colleagues from the Golden Deer house are quite... effusive in their praise for you. Specifically, your ability to talk to animals.”

Marianne sighed. She knew she shouldn’t have given Raphael the wrong idea, but she’d gotten so nervous and had been desperately looking for a way to leave the conversation. “I’m afraid there has been a mix-up, your highness. I can… almost understand what animals are thinking when I look at them, but I can’t actually speak with them. Only someone who had been blessed by the Goddess could have a gift like that.” All Marianne had ever been was cursed; someone like her would never be blessed by the Goddess.

Edelgard’s eyes flashed at that. She must have been upset about Marianne daring to compare herself to the Goddess, such a thoughtless choice of words. Her expression, however, did not change. “Regardless, that could still be of great help. Do you think you could help us teach Hubert to ride a Pegasus?”

At his spot behind Edelgard, Hubert tensed but said nothing, his loyalty to his liege wining out over his desire to avoid interacting with others. Petra, on the other hand, was much more expressive with her support of the idea, as she began to nod enthusiastically. “Yes, that is being an excellent idea! Friend Marianne is just the person to do the job!”

Oh Goddess, they clearly had the wrong idea about her. To think she could do anything that the three of them could not. She had to gently, yet firmly, explain to them that she couldn’t help them. Just say the words ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.’

“Um.” She said instead.

Rather than the refusal she intended, Edelgard took this as a sign that she needed more convincing.

“I assure you Marianne, if I did not believe you were the right person to for the job, I would not even think to ask you.” As blunt as the words were, they were actually strangely relieving to hear. Edelgard turned to look up to Huber behind her, before moving right in front of where she stood, their physical closeness nearly causing Marianne to gasp. She then leaned up to whisper in Marianne’s ear. “Please help us, Marianne. This would really mean lot to Hubert if you can do this.”

Hubert’s lips tugged slightly downwards where he stood, but otherwise he gave no indication that he heard.

“You really think a man can learn to ride a pegasus?” Marianne timidly asked.

“Of course.” Edelgard answered with no hesitation.

“Even though no one in Fodlan has done it before?”

“That just means that Hubert will be the first. At any rate, how will we know if we never try?” Her unwavering belief and conviction nearly left Marianne breathless as she tried to form a response.

“I- I can try.” Marianne finally responded after a pause. “Though I’m not sure if I’ll actually be able to accomplish anything.” Marianne trailed off into a mumble.

“That’s all I can ask.” Despite her words there was an expectant look on her face, as if the idea of Marianne failing was incomprehensible. How could someone believe in her so completely when she couldn’t believe in herself? Fighting the urge to continue fidgeting with her hands, Marianne took a deep breath and made her way over to the agitated pegasus.

It was no secret that Marianne struggled to maintain eye contact when talking with people. She could hardly even look at them at all. She dreaded the idea of seeing what people really thought when they talked to her, couldn’t bear the idea of seeing the disappointment or contempt that would surely be on their faces. It was one of the reasons she was more comfortable around animals. Animals didn’t look at her and sneer at how quiet she was, or how weird she acted. When animals looked at people the only thoughts they had were ‘are you a threat’ or ‘do you have food’? No, Marianne could look at animals just fine, which was why she was able to study the state of the majestic creature in front of her.

She took in the continuous flaring of its nostrils, the intermittent shaking of its head and mane, and the agitated way it would bray and stomp about restlessly. It’s beautiful wings, twice as long across as she was tall, had unfurled themselves fully at her approach, making the aggrieved pegasus that much more intimidating. Yet she could not fall back on fear, as fear would not solve this. She wasn’t as well versed with pegasi as she was with regular horses, but she knew enough to know that asserting your will or dominance was probably not the right way to. It was rarely the right way to go with anyone, animal or human. Animals generally responded better to gentleness and calmness.

“It’s okay.” She softly called out as she slowly continued to walk forward, arms held out in front of her in a placating manner. She could feel a strange calm as she did so. “Did these people frighten you? I understand, people frighten me too.” Did this beast’s blood sizzle and stir in anticipation in such situations? She understood that too, much as she wished she didn’t, her crest would always mean she was little more than a beast in the end. “But you have nothing to fear from them.” She stopped walking forward when the horse began to rear back, yet left one hand up, outstretched. She couldn’t force this, the Pegasus needed to calm down of its own accord as well. “You have nothing to fear from me.” She mustered herself to make the most calming, serene smile she could manage. The kind that Mercedes had down to a work of art, but Marianne could only do when her audience had either four legs or wings, or both in this case.

Her arm began to ache as she held it up, but she didn’t dare try to lower it. Not when the pegasus slowly lowered itself to all fours, and not when it finally decided to re-furl its wings. As it stared her down, Marianne irrationally felt like it was trying to read her thoughts. Was it trying to sense her fear? If so, it wouldn’t find anything. She would rather brave any danger than face the agonizing fear of talking to others, and she’d already done that today anyway.

The pegasus must have eventually come to the same thought, as it finally deigned to trot over the remaining distance before slowly leaning to nuzzle its head into her trembling arm.

Marianne exhaled in relief as she lowered her arm to pet the now docile Pegasus. “I knew you were just a big softy all along. Aren’t you, boy?”

The pegasus snorted.

“Girl. Sorry.”

“Admiration!” Petra cheered excitedly from behind.

“Perhaps the stories of pegasi obeying the pure of heart are true after all?” Edelgard added, as Marianne began to untie rope tying her down so she could be more at ease.

Hubert smiled mirthlessly at her side. “I dare say that will prove troublesome for my ever being able to ride a pegasus then. The only thing my heart is ever likely to grant me is a trip to the eternal flames.”

“I don’t think you need to be pure to ride or handle a pegasus.” Marianne said. “If that were the case, I never would have been able to.”

Hubert scoffed in the confident matter that only the truly negative who had the utmost confidence in their bad karma were able to. “Oh please. If you were any more holy forest animals would gather to hear you sing.”

It probably was not a good time to mention that forest animals did tend to flock to her when she found herself in the woods then. Marianne flushed as she tried to find the words to counter Hubert’s opinion of her. This was coming dangerously close to an ‘argument’ and Marianne would tame a thousand pegasi before she ever had the confidence to go through that. “Whatever you may think of me, it’s the truth. If you needed to be a saint to ride a pegasus, I’m not sure anyone could.” She tried to think about whet she knew about most pegasus riders. She remembered a story her adoptive father told her about political delegates who had flown in from Faerghus. “Umm… I’m not too sure how relevant this is, but is it true that the best pegasus riders in Fodlan tend to come from Faerghus?”

“I think that is a safe assumption.” Edelgard agreed. “I have certainly read enough texts on historical warfare to believe so.”

“In which case we are back to square one.” Hubert said. “If Faerghus are the gold standard in pegasus riders then you likely _do_ need to be a holy saint to ride one.”

“I’m still not sure... though my father does say that the pegasus riders from Faerghus are the most devoted soldiers around.” That this had not been said as a compliment she very carefully did not say. The Margrave was very shrewd when it came to investments, and had not been pleased when his generous offer of gold for their services had been refused.

“Marianne, what exactly were you thinking when you thinking when you approached the Pegasus? What was it that was going through your mind?” Edelgard questioned her as easily and directly as she would a member of her own house.

“Ah, um,” Marianne fumbled, unused to being questioned so directly. “I suppose I was just wishing for her to calm down.” It all sounded rather inadequate, once she said it out loud. Should she have had more of a goal in mind?

“That is all?” Edelgard asked again. “You were not afraid?”

“No, I wasn’t.” Not around animals. Never around animals.

“The best soldiers tend to be the ones who are the most adept at focusing only of the mission at hand.” Edelgard held her chin in her hand as she pondered aloud, almost as if she barely heard Marianne’s response at all. “The most devoted are the ones who think only of obeying their lord. Perhaps one does not need to be pure of heart to ride a Pegasus, but clear of mind and strong in conviction.”

“Yes, that is making much of sense.” Petra agreed. “The Brigidian Pegasus fliers are all united in their love of the animals and their sacred duty to be protecting Brigid. They have no doubts or other wants to be distracting them.”

“And you, Marianne, you clearly seemed devoted and steadfast in your love for animals as well.” Marianne blushed and tried to find something, _anything_ , interesting in the ground at her feet.

“Tch, no wonder Adrestian Pegasus riders are so lacking in comparison.” Edelgard grumbled. “If nobles of the empire and their men were capable of ignoring their vices then the empire would have never fallen into its current state of disrepute in the first place.”

It was so odd, hearing the contrast in these future rulers as they talked about their homes. Petra carried Brigid with her wherever she went. She carried it like a banner, as proudly and openly as she wore the tattoos on her face. Meanwhile if Edelgard carried Adrestia with her at all, it was as a pillory. It dragged her down with its failings and left her thinking of only how she could fix it. Would Petra have been as disillusioned as Edelgard, had she continued to live in Brigid long enough to see the cracks? If Edelgard had been spirited away from her home at a young age with only rose-tinted memories, would she be as proud of her home as Petra was? Or did their current attitudes speak to the true natures of their respective countries after all?

It was all interesting conjecture, not that she would ever dare say it aloud. Petra and Edelgard might be offended if she ever gave voice to such thoughts. Hubert likely wouldn’t care to hear that sort of hypothetical either. Although the way he was staring at his hand in deep thought, he likely wouldn’t even notice her thoughts if she grabbed a quill and wrote them on his face.

“Is something wrong, Hubert?” She asked, her worry rising as he just… kept staring at his hand.

At hearing her retainer’s name, Edelgard looked over from her conversation with Petra. Her eyes furrowed and her lips pulled into a tight frown as she took in Hubert’s far-away expression. “Hubert? What is it?”

“I’m a fool.” Hubert finally responded, physically incapable of ignoring a question from Edelgard. Paying no attention, to the three women looking at each other in confusion, he continued to speak. “I’m a fool, to allow trivial doubts and fears to cloud my toughts. I am a tool to implement her highness’ will. A tool doesn’t have doubts, never tries to force itself on others.”

Edelgard’s frown only lengthened as Hubert gave his speech. Whatever revelation he came to, it didn’t appear to be one that she agreed with. When Hubert finally clenched the hand he had been staring at into a fist and turned to her, she made no effort to hide it. “Your highness, do you wish for me to tame and ride this beast?”

Edelgard said nothing, staring at Hubert in the eyes. “Yes, Hubert.” Edelgard finally relented. “I would like for you to ride a pegasus.” Her voice tinged with melancholy in the way the Margrave Edmund’s occasionally did when he talked to her- only briefly, just enough to wonder if it had ever really been there at all.

“Then it will be done.” When he turned to look at the pegasus again, he was much calmer than he had been in his previous attempt. His shoulders were loose and relaxed, and his approach much more steady and measured. Whatever doubts he had spoken of before must have been banished from his mind, as when Marianne dared to look his eyes were clear. For her part, Marianne continued to stroke and pet the pegasus, doing her part to keep her calm and happy for Hubert’s approach.

He eventually came to a stop when he was a small distance away, and raised his hand in the way he had seen Marianne do before. He looked to her and nodded, and Marianne took that as her cue to lead the pegasus the rest of the way to Hubert. When the steed initially tried to resist her attempt and begun to whinny in protest, she did her best to again soothe her.

“It’s okay. You’re okay.” She whispered as she hugged her neck. “Hubert is a good person. He won’t hurt you.” That Hubert didn’t scoff or react to that at all showed his commitment to his current task. The pegasus craned its neck to study her for a moment before snorting, and turned around to slowly trot towards Hubert.

She finally came to a stop right in front of Hubert. The two stared at each other, seeming to be at an impasse. Hubert regarded the mount as one would an unconquerable foe, a force of nature. The pegasus, for her part, seemed to regard Hubert in the way a cat would regard a particularly stupid, ugly dog. A strange mix of contempt and pity that should not have been possible for an animal, and yet here they were. After a brief moment that seemed like it must have took an eternity for Hubert, the pegasus finally let loose a soft whinny as she clopped forward the last few steps and lowered her neck to Hubert’s outstretched arm. His breath hitched, before he ever-so-slowly begun to stroke his arm through her mane and across her neck. An almost-smile was threatening to break through his mental walls and onto his face.

“So this is what it’s like, to have pegasi not react violently to your very presence?” He mused as he continued to stroke the mare. “I will say, it is certainly much less painful.”

Overjoyed, Marianne stepped back a few paces to as Petra bound up excitedly to take her place. “Will you be learning how to fly now?”

Hubert tensed at that so suddenly and so briefly that if Marianne had blinked she likely never would have noticed at all.

“I think that is perhaps enough progress for one day.” Edelgard answered for him. “Every step is a victory, and we should cherish our victories, even the small ones. Perhaps it’s best to give Hubert and the steed some time to bond.”

It was a good thing that Hubert’s willpower was so strong and tangible that you could strike it with a hammer, because the smile seemed like it could have turned into a full-on beam after that. Any witnesses to such a phenomenon would surely be executed once the euphoria had worn off.

“If this is to be your pegasus, she is in needing of a name.”

“I might have a few ideas.”

While Hubert debated with Petra the merit of why ‘Death from Above’ was a fine name for a Pegasus, actually, Edelgard drew forward to stand side-by-side with Marianne as they watched the proceedings in silence. As someone quite experienced in silences of all kinds, Marianne thought it was actually rather nice. It wasn’t the awkward ‘two people who have no idea what to say to each other’ silence, which she was particularly well-versed in, yet it wasn’t quite the ‘two people who are so at ease with each other they don’t need to say a word’ silence either, which she unfortunately only experienced with creatures who weren’t exactly much for conversation anyway. No, if Marianne had to judge, this was the ‘working their way up to say something meaningful’ kind of silence. Potentially that could be good or bad, yet Marianne found herself with a strange absence of apprehension. Perhaps it was a bit hard to feel so afraid of the mundane after going through the surreal experience of watching Hubert von Vestra pet a pegasus?

“Marianne,” Edelgard began. “I just wanted to thank you again for your help today. Hubert won’t ever admit this, but it has always wanted to ride a Pegasus ever since he was child. I’m not sure we ever would have even gotten this far without your aid in calming it.”

As usual when faced with an unexpected compliment, Marianne found herself growing immediately uncomfortable. Thankfully, she had her trusty go-to deflection ready. “It was nothing.” Generally, there was no better phrase to stop another potential compliment dead in its tracks. It required being insistent in order to continue a compliment, which was just far too awkward for people to try.

“You helped my friend achieve a dream he’s had since he was a little boy.” Edelgard said, smashing through her deflection as instantaneously as a battering ram through a hut made of sticks. “That is not ‘nothing’.”

Marianne floundered slightly as she thought of what to say that, aware that the longer she waited the closer they got to the awkward silence she so dreaded. In the end, the only way she could respond to such blunt, uncompromising insistence that she had done well was with sincerity. “You said that it meant a lot to him. The least I could do is help. Although it seems like he thought he was doing this for you.”

“Yes, it does appear that he’s has taken the wrong lesson out of this, unfortunately. Still, I have the utmost confidence that as he learns to ride that Pegasus, he will remember more and more his boyhood dream, until he is doing it for himself alone.”

“There’s quite a gap between petting a pegasus and riding one. Do you really think he can learn?” It still sounded so impossible to her. It might be commonplace in Brigid and Dagda, but those countries were an entire ocean away. Fodlan on the other hand was right here, and there were no records of any male Pegasus riders.

“Absolutely. For too long has Fodlan allowed tradition to stifle progress. It must change.”

“That’s a very big goal for just one woman.” For one woman who was very small at that, yet Marianne could feel her presence rowing with every word.

“I suppose it is.” A rare grin cracked through Edelgard’s control as she turned to look at her. “Perhaps teaching my silly friend to fly is a good first step.” She relaxed her grin until it had turned into something more wistful. “Marianne… forgive my forwardness, but I must confess find myself quite envious of you.”

What on earth could someone as amazing and radiant as Edelgard see in someone like her to be jealous of? Her disbelief must have been plain on her face as Edelgard only looked at her briefly before elaborating. “It’s your compassion. For animals, and for people like Hubert who you barely even know. I know I can be cold, and one must be in order to rule, but you still need to be able to be kind as well. I dearly hope I won’t forget that.”

“Edelgard… Do- Do you really think that about me?”

“I think I’ve seen more kindness from you today than anyone could ever expect to see from the Goddess in their lifetime.” Her nod was unwavering, and her voce firm.

“I think that’s blasphemy.” Marianne said unsurely. Strangely, she didn’t feel as uncomfortable as she normally would.

Edelgard’s grin was back in force, and almost infectious. “I won’t tell if you don’t.” She wasn’t sure if it was euphoria or nausea that left her reeling from Edelgard’s open compliments of her, but whatever it was the words had prompted something in her as she found herself responding in kind.

“I… find myself envious of you as well.” She didn’t know where the words had come from, but Edelgard said nothing, only raising a brow. “Of your determination. Your conviction.”

Edelgard hummed at that. “Sounds like we both have our own strengths to be proud of, and weaknesses to overcome.”

“I suppose so.” Marianne still felt a bit off kilter receiving such praise from someone so clearly amazing. But Edelgard didn’t seem particularly interested in hearing any more arguments and Marianne didn’t feel particularly interested in _making_ any arguments, so she’d have to let it slide. They didn’t say anything more after that, watching in companionable silence as Hubert and Petra fussed over the now content Pegasus. And it _was_ fussing, no matter how much Hubert would chuckle ominously or speak of destroying her highness’ enemies. Ultimately, there was only so much time students with as many duties as Hubert and Petra could devote to such a task, and the four found themselves bringing the steed back to the stable.

“Did you finally decide upon a name?” Edelgard asked. Marianne dearly hoped he’d chosen something that wouldn’t cause bystanders to flee in a panic if it were to be yelled out.

“Kaisa.” Hubert answered in a tone that was an unexpected mix of fond and bashful she didn’t realise he was capable of. There seemed to be a rather lot that she and most others wouldn’t realise he was capable of.

“That’s a very pretty name.” Marianne answered honestly. She steeled her nerves and directed a timid smile to him.

“Yes, well…” He stumbled momentarily at the honesty of the unexpected compliment. “Petra was quite insistent. And I have long-since learned that it is futile to argue with royalty.

“Careful, Hubert.” Edelgard said, her voice full of mirth. “That almost sounded like a joke at my expense.”

“Apologies, your highness. I will endeavour to make sure it does not happen again.”

Once Kaisa had been properly stabled (and subsequently plied with treats to ensure a positive response to his presence tomorrow), Edelgard took a look around the stables. Several stalls were still in need of mucking out, quite a few horses were still in need of grooming, and there was a large amount of horse tack in need of maintenance. “It appears we have our work cut out for us.”

Ah, she had forgotten about how much work there was still to do with the stables. Between doting on Dorte when she first arrived and helping Hubert tame Kaisa the actual stable work had gotten neglected. It was only after this realisation that Edelgard’s sentence caught up to her. “Our work?”

“But of course. You helped us today when you didn’t need to, it’s only right that we do the same. Edelgard said, picking up a shovel. Next to her, Petra picked up a shovel, and the two of them wielded their tools as assuredly as they would any weapon. “Yes, have no worry, friend Marianne. We will be done in flat time.”

Hubert chuckled as he too picked up a shovel. “Two princesses and the heir to the Imperial Household walk into a stable stall. Sounds like the beginning of one of Caspar’s bawdry jokes he so enjoys.”

It was hardly some life-changing event. Indeed, in the event that she were to catch the eye of any of the three Black Eagles even the very next day, Marianne would still probably avert her gaze and pretend as if she hadn’t noticed them. But right here, in this moment, Marianne allowed herself a smile as they worked, for once finding comfort rather than anxiety in the company of others.

Cherish the victories, even the small ones? Well, she never had been one to argue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate chapter title: Let Hubert be the dark flier he deserves Intelligent Systems you cowards.
> 
> I'm still a bit confused over what cultures exactly Brigid is supposed to be based on. The name, as awell as Petra's last name would suggest Irish, but Petra's skin colour and her stories about beaches and the climate suggest something more Polynesian. So I've just gone with a mix of Irish-Hawaiian.
> 
> Updates will likely be slower going forward since I'm now back working full-time while having to study on the side, so I apologise for any delays going forward.


End file.
